Meals on Wheels Expanding in Goleta, Needing More Volunteer Drivers
GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Meals on Wheels program is broadening its service beyond Santa Barbara to Goleta with a preliminary route, but looks to grow to a larger area soon.
The hot meal program is vital to many residents who do not have access to a nutritious meal due to health or other issues.
Meals on Wheels has a solid plan with existing kitchens to respond with a delivery and a wellness check at the same time.
They are working with Val Verde Retirement and Mission Terrace to have the meals professionally prepared and packaged for the mid-morning delivery teams.
One of the recipients Dottie Gennatore described her Wednesday delivery. “Theres the tacos and the sauteed vegetables and Spanish rice, looks good!” She also found a salad and soup. For desert a piece of red velvet cake.
The recipients say sometimes, this is the only complete meal they will get for the day. They also often do not have any other contact with someone other than maybe a phone call.
The current Goleta schedule handles clients that are on the mountain side of the freeway. As the volunteers come on board and more needs are on the ocean side of the freeway, the expansion will go to, at least another zone, and possibly the rest of the city.
Tracy Pfautch is the Meals on Wheels Executive Director. She says, “Meals on Wheels has a lot of word of mouth referral business so once somebody starts getting Meals on Wheels a lot of people start calling us in the community. “
Those who volunteer only need to go out once a week, but some do an additional day as needed.
Pfautch said, “in order to get those people off the waiting list we need additional volunteer drivers in Goleta.”
One driver sees the benefits close to home. Dave Hilbe said, “I’ve got a friend fighting cancer right now and if it wasn’t for Meals on Wheels I am not sure he would get a main meal every day.”
The quality of the meals is impressive to not just the recipients but also those bringing the packages to the front doors. Robin Weitz is a volunteer to said, “when you have your food prepared for you by the nutritionist, the dietician, the chef, the caterers everything, it is so helpful it’s great.”
To be able to respond to the Goleta needs, Weitz says it is important, “to encourage people to be a participant and to be a recipient.”
At the end of a delivery Hilbe said, “if I deliver to 15 clients in a day, I get 15 hugs and 15 thank you’s who wouldn’t want to do that, right?”
For more information on getting Meals on Wheels delivered or to be a volunteer go to: Meals on Wheels.
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