Meals on Wheels Volunteers

Aside from the cooks and MAMOW manager, the Morgantown Area Meals on Wheels is an All-Volunteer community group that has provided a "Service of Love" to Morgantown's homebound since 1973.

Volunteers contribute their time and energies in multiple ways:

Drive and deliver food to clients;

Courier food to distribution points,

Shop for the kitchen at local stores, and

Serve as officers, board, and committee members for the MAMOW organization

Assist with other volunteer activities as needed.

Meals on Wheels Drivers

Meals on Wheels drivers are our largest group of volunteers. All drivers have a valid driver's license and vehicle insurance. Most drivers will be wearing MOW badges, but back-up and new drivers may not have them yet. New drivers are introduced to their delivery routes by veteran MOW drivers who can also give them tips on how to be helpful to clients. Sometimes drivers deliver meals alone, and sometimes drivers have partners—one driving and one delivering the meals to the door. Occasionally drivers will have children with them who "help" the driver and are usually eager to meet the meal recipients.

Most drivers deliver meals only one day a week so you will likely meet five different drivers each week if you have everyday delivery. Like most people, drivers occasionally get sick or go on vacation, so MOW also has back-up drivers to keep your meals coming on schedule.

When delivering meals, if there is no response to a doorbell or knock on the door—and no cooler outside to indicate you are not home—the driver will probably use a cell phone to call you—phones often have louder rings than doorbells. If there is still no response, the driver may call your contact person—since every client has to give MOW the name and phone number of a back-up person who can be called in case of emergencies. That contact person can be alerted to your absence and may have an explanation or suggestion about meal delivery. Sometimes drivers complete their other meal deliveries and just try you again. Drivers are required to report all undeliverable meals to the MOW Kitchen.

Drivers are instructed to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, and to help clients if possible. Drivers may be asked to put meals in specific places, provide an eating utensil, shut a window etc. There have even been times when a driver has found a client who has fallen and can't get up. In such cases the driver will likely call 911 so that the client can be checked for possible injuries. The driver will stay until help arrives and will also call the contact person.

Clients often like to talk and sometimes they tell a driver about problems they have not been able to solve. Depending on the nature of the problem, drivers can report the problem to MOW and ask if someone can put the client in touch with an agency in the community that can help. Drivers are the eyes and ears of the MOW program.

How many Meals on Wheels drivers are there? Counting Goshen Road, Rock Forge and Star City drivers there are over 100 volunteer drivers and their helpers covering our ten daily routes making sure our clients receive their meals!

If you would like to volunteer to work with Meals On Wheels, call the office at 304-599-1954, send us an email morgantownareamow@gmail.com or download our MAMOW Volunteer Application and eMail it back to us or drop it by the office at 3375 University Avenue, Morgantown, WV  26505.  One of our coordinators will contact you to discuss volunteer opportunities!