Meals on Wheels pleads for volunteers to assist North Texas seniors

Under the clearest, brightest blue skies-- Meals on Wheels staffers are navigating a perfect summer storm: more demand and rising gas prices that could discourage potential volunteers.

And in both Dallas and Tarrant County, the agencies are desperate for more helping hands.

"The need is great," shares Inga Wilson, Vice President of Meals on Wheels with the Visiting Nurse Association in Dallas.  "Right now, if we don't have enough volunteers and drivers to deliver the meals, then some of the seniors won't get their hot meals today."

Behind Wilson, at the Dallas distribution center, the bright red and blue coolers are packed, stacked and loaded.  Volunteers are arriving at a brisk pace-- Wilson just wishes there were more of them.  She knows that it's costing those drivers more to make those deliveries.

"Totally worth it. I don't even think about the gas," says Mom and new volunteer Elizabeth Orozco.

Orozco even brings her two kids along-- a teen and a tween-- to ride along. She says it's great family time as they get to be meal delivery DJs.  And. She wants them to see compassion, up close.

"You know, you see a little glimmer of hope in them, that someone is going to do something for them. So maybe it's like they don't have family out here or they don't have many connections," shares Orozco, her eyes filling with tears.  "And I feel like when we go and deliver, we, we, we give that hope to them."

David Crisp, a retiree, has volunteered for years.  He, too, takes the extra gas expense in stride... saying many of his meal delivery clients have become friends.

"You know, I'm not curing world hunger," adds Crisp, "but if everybody did a little bit, it'd be a better place."

Even within the organization, everyone lends a hand.  Everyone.  On this day, VNA President and CEO Chris Culak is pulling up to the dock and loading up meals to deliver.

"It reminds me of why we do what we do," says Culak.  "So, I try to deliver my route every week so I can knock on the door, talk to those clients, see how they're doing, really be part of what we're asking volunteers to do."

Throughout North Texas, there are more disabled and homebound seniors needing meals than the agencies have the capacity to support: it's 5-10 routes going uncovered in Dallas County every day, but in Tarrant County, there are some 40 routes needing volunteers.

"Any volunteer who volunteers for us, [it ]usually takes an hour, hour and a half a day," says Philip Gonzalez with Tarrant County Meals on Wheels.  "So, if you have that amount of time, one day a week, you're really going to make a difference in our clients' lives."

And as the summertime temps settle in, the meal deliveries also allow volunteers to provide quick, but critical checks on whether seniors' homes are staying cool.  And the warm hearts?

"I love that we get to help people every day," says Wilson, as the memories rush back... and she blinks to hold back the emotions that follow.

The warm hearts are just an occupational hazard.

"That's my life's purpose," says Wilson.  "How do I help make people's lives better? Each and every day? We get to do that here."

For more information on how to volunteer in either Dallas or Tarrant County, check out https://volunteer.vnatexas.org/landing