3 minute read
More Than Meals
When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, Cristi Twenter knew it would greatly impact the community, but she was especially concerned about the well-being of the hundreds of seniors depending on Edmond Mobile Meals for food each week.
“Our clients are homebound, and they are the most vulnerable to the very negative outcomes if exposed to COVID-19,” said Twenter, executive director at Edmond Mobile Meals. “We still needed to make sure they had something to eat and didn’t have to worry about where their next meal would come from.”
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With the onset of mandatory quarantines and strict guidelines from the CDC, the organization had to completely shift their service model. They could not risk exposure for volunteers or clients with daily deliveries and personal home visits.
For more than a year now, volunteers have dropped off five days worth of meals once a week. Each Wednesday, homebound residents receive bulk meals, salads, fresh fruit, side items and milk. They can also receive assistance through grocery delivery and errand-running services to get essentials like prescriptions and personal care items.
“Like everyone else, we certainly had no idea it would last more than a year. We expected to keep our modified service through the summer, but we just weren’t able to fully reopen in a safe way,” said Twenter. “With our new model, our clients were able to shelter in place as long as they needed to without missing a meal.”
This past January, the nonprofit partnered with local restaurants to provide seniors with fresh, hot meals two days a week, which provided an opportunity to not only bring variety to clients, but also to support local businesses struggling after a slow winter season and limited patron capacities.
Despite the major challenges the organization faced, Edmond Mobile Meals did not miss a single week of service and delivered their one millionth meal in November 2020.
Beyond nutrition, one of the founding principles of the nonprofit was to provide connection and well-being checks.
“We know the face-to-face connection from our volunteers is sometimes the only other human interaction for our clients,” said Twenter. “We were really concerned because these seniors already suffer from a higher level of social isolation, and the pandemic just made it even more difficult.”
Twenter and her team created two new initiatives to keep their clients and volunteers engaged and connected. With the Friendly Caller program, residents receive a phone call from a volunteer at least once a week as a check-in, just to visit and have a friendly conversation. The Pen Pal program also connects volunteers on a one-on-one basis with residents to share letters, cards and other fun snail mail.
“Some wonderful friendships have been formed, and I anticipate that will continue on even when we return to our normal service,” said Twenter. “We want to make sure our clients know they are not alone and there are people in the community that are here for them and care for them.”
Since most of their volunteers and residents have been vaccinated, Edmond Mobile Meals will return to normal service five days a week on May 3. They will continue the Friendly Caller and Pen Pal programs, as well as the new salads and fresh produce for clients each week.
The organization’s biggest need is volunteers, specifically in the kitchen. Some of their previous volunteers have been unable to return, but the client base continues to grow. Vaccinations are recommended, but not required, and shifts are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
“It’s been a long year for everyone in this world, but we’re really excited to be able to get back to what we do best, providing our wonderful nutritious meals, getting volunteers back in the kitchen and seeing clients every day,” said Twenter.
To learn more about the Edmond Mobile Meals mission or to apply as a volunteer, visit edmondmobilemeals.org.
