LANCASTER – The people who deliver meals to older people in central Ohio are calling out for volunteers as the holiday season begins and winter cold sets in.
Meals On Wheels Fairfield County delivers approximately 1,000 meals per day to residents who find it difficult to leave home to shop for food or cook.
“We have routes within our city of Lancaster – we have twelve routes there – and then eight routes out in our county, rural areas so, yes, we are always looking for volunteers to help support our meal delivery,” said Anna Tobin, executive director.
Tobin says volunteers also deliver meal boxes and assist clients with tasks around their homes.
Hear the full interview with Anna Tobin here.
Chuck Gehring, president and CEO of Lifecare Alliance, which administers the Meals On Wheels program in Franklin and four other counties, says the demand for the service has grown over the past few years.
“We continue to be more than 65% above pre-COVID home delivery meal numbers. People have just been in great need this year,” Gehring said.
Gehring says the biggest need for volunteers are the day after Thanksgiving, the week between Christmas and New Year, and during the cold winter months when many regular volunteers seek warmer weather in southern or southwestern states or are worried about going out in bad weather during an Ohio winter.
Older Ohioans are facing a number of challenges brough on by economic pressures, such as the high costs of housing, transportation and prescription drugs, Tobin said.
Although the Inflationary Reduction Act signed by Pres. Joe Biden in August aims to lower prescription drug prices, Tobin says some provisions of the law don’t go into effect until 2025.