HAYWOOD COUNTY - Meals On Wheels is seeking help from the community. Their mission is to provide nutritious meals, friendly visits, and safety checks to enable homebound senior citizens to live nourished lives with independence and dignity through the efforts of staff and volunteers.

Meals On Wheels is looking for volunteers to assist with meal deliveries. After COVID, the program lost volunteers, and was forced to drop meal deliveries to three days per week. The goal is to return to five-day delivery schedule, and the program is dependent on volunteer participation.

The organization delivers meals on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and would require that the meals be picked up at the kitchen area at Paragon Parkway. Volunteers arrive between the hours of 9:30 to 10:30 AM, and meals are delivered by noon.The program requires just a couple hours one day per week. An individual could also coordinate a group of friends, family, or co-workers for rotation of a route. There is also a need for substitute drivers for most of the routes in order to give our regular volunteers time for vacations or appointments. There are plenty of options, and the organization would be happy to work with any schedule. 

In addition to volunteers to deliver meals, the program is also seeking donations, which have decreased over the last few years and has impacted the program. They are currently not able to serve every individual in need. Donating, or perhaps sponsoring a recipient, would allow Meals On Wheels to move an eligible individual from the growing waitlist to the program's delivery list. All donations are tax deductible.

If interested in volunteering, please contact Cheryl McCracken at 828-356-2442 or email at [email protected]. 

To donate, visit MOWHaywoodNC.org or mail your donation to Haywood County Health and Human Services, 157 Paragon Pkwy, Suite 300, Clyde, NC 28721. 

Source: Meals On Wheels Haywood County