CONFIDENCE TO SOAR

“Before I joined the board, I was told we were looking for people with various backgrounds and experiences to join,” Stempson says. “I changed that and said we want to make a policy that says to be on the board, you have to drive for three months before being considered. You need to understand what this is and what it takes. I don’t want to know where your head is, I want to know where your heart is.”

As more and more of the aging population chooses to live independently longer and stay at home, services like MOW are becoming more prevalent and needed within the community. Stempson says for some, there’s a bit of a stigma or resistance when it comes to asking for help.

“It’s difficult to admit when you need help, but I’m surprised we don’t have more clients because we could do more,” Stempson says. “What I’ve found is once you give it a try, you want to stay.”

It’s also a goal of the organization to remind the community that they are still here and still working hard.

In the past few years, Cordon has worked to increase outreach and fundraising efforts, attending public events in hopes of reaching a neighbor or family friend who may benefit from the service.

Stempson says MOW will set up a farmers market booth and often hear the light bulb go off in someone’s memory.

“They say, ‘Grandma and grandpa were on Meals on Wheels,’” Stempson says. “It’s like everyone knows us, but it’s so common it’s often forgotten.”

To deliver the meals, it takes 55 volunteers each week with a growing need for more.

“There is a brief [volunteer] online application and then I schedule an online orientation that takes about 30 minutes,” Cordon says. “We do background checks on all of the volunteers and we ask that people drive at least one route per month. We have some volunteers driving three times per week, so the more the merrier.”

For the current MOW volunteer family, they’ll celebrate their 50th anniversary on April 26 with an open-house celebration. There will be appetizers, light refreshments, a slide show of historical photos and more.

“I would love to see more drivers and more clients signing up,” Stempson says. “We have our 50th coming up and we’ll be around for another 50 more, I’m sure. As long as I can lift a container, I’m going to continue to do it.”

For more information or to sign up to volunteer, visit hcmealsonwheels.org.