Permanently Open Routes at Meals on Wheels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Melissa Coultas

Marketing Manager

coultas@mow-starkwayne.org

330-832-7220

MEALS ON WHEELS PERMANENTLY OPEN DELIVERY ROUTES

CREATE AN URGENT NEED FOR VOLUNTEER DRIVERS

MASSILLON, OH – October 23, 2017 – Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties (MOW) has an unprecedented number of permanently open delivery routes, and the agency is in urgent need of volunteers to ensure its vital community service continues in Stark and Wayne Counties.

MOW works hard to provide at-risk individuals with nutrition for better health, happiness, and independence and is one of a few Meals on Wheels agencies nationwide that operates without a client waiting list; however, with the number of individuals in need continuing to grow and the struggle to find volunteers escalating, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain this policy. Creating a waiting list would mean telling individuals in need of nutritional support that they must wait for assistance until there is room to include them on a route – this is something MOW wants to avoid, and it is hoping to find volunteers to fill permanently open routes and eliminate the threat of a waiting list.

The agency operates out of 17 satellite sites located throughout Stark and Wayne Counties and serves nearly 1,500 meals per day. The meals are divided and delivered across 65 delivery routes. Out of those 65 routes, however, MOW faces multiple, permanent open routes every single day. A permanently open route forms when there are no regularly scheduled volunteers available to deliver. On Monday, the agency has 15 permanently open routes; Tuesday it has 7 permanently open routes; Wednesday it has 8 permanently open routes; Thursday it has 13 permanently open routes; and Friday it has 14 permanently open routes.

Below is the total number of permanently open routes at sites in North Canton and Canton areas:

Canton – Cherry Turner Towers

Total: 6 permanently open routes

Canton – Mayfield Manor Apartments

Total: 7 permanently open routes

Canton – Plaza Terrace Apartments

Total: 1 permanently open route

Canton – North Industry Christian Church

Total: 4 permanently open routes

Jackson – St. Stephen Martyr Lutheran Church

Total: 7 permanently open routes

If you are interested in volunteering and available at one of the above locations, please contact MOW’s Volunteer Coordinator, Anngi Klick, at 330-832-7220 or klick@mow-starkwayne.org.

Volunteers must be licensed drivers and have auto insurance coverage. Deliveries are made between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday and take approximately 60 to 90 minutes to complete. The agency provides volunteers with training and mileage reimbursement. MOW welcomes those who would like to become regular drivers or occasional substitute drivers. There is also an Adopt-A-Route program which allows companies to deliver in the community through an employee-rotation schedule.

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About Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties

Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties is a non-profit agency that provides nutritional support to homebound individuals of all ages. Services include delivery of hot meals, breakfast meals, sack suppers, frozen meals, chopped meals, pureed meals and liquid supplements (pending physician referral), Monday through Friday. The agency has 17 sites throughout Stark and Wayne Counties and depends on volunteers to fulfill its mission. To learn more about the agency’s services and programs, including how to become a volunteer, call 330-832-7220 or 1-800-466-8010, or visit www.mow-starkwayne.org.