Local Meals on Wheels Program Rolls On Strong

Every day, dozens of Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park residents who are unable to shop or cook for themselves have delicious and nutritious meals brought right to their front door.

Today’s menu: ham and cheese sandwiches, roll with butter and cookies for lunch, then beef cubes with onions and mushrooms for dinner.

The shopping, cooking and delivery of the food is done by a dedicated and passionate team of volunteers at Meals on Wheels, which operates out of the Bethel Presbyterian Church along Bethel Church Road.

At the helm of the group is Dorothy Vandruff. For more than 30 years Vandruff has embodied the Meals on Wheels mission of serving the elderly, disabled and shut-ins of Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park. If someone has a need but cannot afford the suggested donation, Vandruff still signs them up as a customer.

“We don’t turn anyone away. I ask them if they need the meals. And if they do, I ask what they can afford and make a deal,” says Vandruff. “Their nutrition is the most important thing. If they eat right they stay more healthy, and that keeps them out of nursing homes."

Meals on Wheels has been operating out of Bethel Presbyterian for 39 years. It started when Dorothy Walker, a trained nurse and wife of then-pastor Dennis, recognized that the nutritional needs of the elderly people in the community were not being met. So Walker gathered up some volunteers and began cooking.

Vandruff started volunteering at Meals on Wheels as a cook one or two days a week. When Walker left the area, she tapped Vandruff to take over the five-day-a-week operation. A job she happily accepted.

Nationwide, 5,000 Meals on Wheels organizations deliver upwards of one million meals per day. Every community in the Pittsburgh region has its own Meals on Wheels. It’s not a charity and does not receive government funding, rather money comes from a combination of customer payments, private donations and fundraisers. The breakfast and evening Rotary Clubs of Upper St. Clair/Bethel Park are big supporters of this particular program.

This Meals on Wheels began with nine residents and slowly swelled to serving more than 75 people per day. Now the number is hovering around an average of 66. And while most are elderly with failing health, some customers are younger residents who have special needs that prevent them from shopping and cooking.

At one time, the average customer age was 90, which included a spunky 105-year-old woman. Vandruff says the average age has come down in years and is probably closer to 70. Some customers use Meals on Wheels short term after surgery, while others have chronic conditions that have made them longtime customers.

Each weekday morning Vandruff and a handful of volunteers make cold bagged lunches and hot dinners for each client. Meals are all made from scratch, using recipes Walker began the program with almost 40 years ago. The servings of chicken, beef, fish, ham and pasta are all quite large, and typically allow for some leftovers.

“We serve the best quality we can get,” says Vandruff. In addition to grocery shopping, she receives donations from many local restaurants and bakeries. Other benefactors donate money or bring in homemade baked goods.

One time a customer called Vandruff to cancel the program only after two days, saying she was not ‘worthy’ of such delicious meals. Shying away from the compliment, Vandruff says if someone needs the food, they are more than worthy.

And while this program runs like a well-oiled machine, it’s by no means a one-size-fits-all operation. Brown bags are lined up on tables, each with an attached index card. The card has the customer’s name, address and dietary specifications, which include everything from food restrictions and food allergies to just plain hating fish. It’s a low tech method, but it’s highly effective.

After the food is made and packed into coolers, volunteer drivers – who pay for their own gas - set out to deliver. Each of the five routes has about 16 customers. While their main job is delivering food, the drivers also serve as a neighborhood watchdog. If something is amiss at a customer’s home, the driver will quickly alert Vandruff who then calls the emergency contact. If she senses a problem or can't reach anyone, she quickly calls the police.

“Both the Upper St. Clair and Bethel police would rather respond to a false alarm then get a call when it’s too late.”

Vandruff tells a story of one customer who had an aneurism burst. The Meals on Wheels driver found him, called an ambulance and he was taken into surgery in time.

“He ended up being just fine,” says Vandruff. “At the end of the day, that’s what we’re here for. Meals on Wheels is about a lot more than just providing food.”

If you know someone in need of Meals on Wheels, call Dorothy Vandruff at 412-835-1039.