LIFE ElderCare is one of the few Meals On Wheels organizations that rely entirely on volunteers to deliver meals to seniors. We do, however, have one paid driver, Bob, who picks up approximately 350 meals, Monday through Friday from the kitchen at Valley Care Hospital in Livermore.
Bob is able to take vacation time without worry because he knows the meal delivery will be in good hands with Larry and Gary, two committed volunteers who are fully trained to provide back up when he is gone. They are also on hand to assist Bob on Thursdays and Fridays when an extra 100+ frozen meals are included for weekends and holidays.
These two volunteers alternate the days that they ride along with Bob to Livermore, a thirty-minute drive from the LIFE ElderCare office. The landscape is awesome as they travel along the 680 Freeway and Highway 84. Niles Canyon is another scenic route used if traffic is heavy. Without fail the meals are delivered in a timely manner and only rarely is there a major delay.
After driving into the parking lot today, Larry and Gary were asked if there were any challenges in picking up the meals without Bob this past week while he was on vacation. Their reply was a nonchalant no. They have been assisting for so long it has become second nature to them. Larry started delivering meals in June of 2007 and Gary has been a driver since July 2008. Both of them are retired.
After unloading the meals from the truck into the parking lot, these two fellows then go on to deliver meals directly to seniors on their regular MOW routes. It is only through committed volunteers like Larry and Gary that we can provide the kind of services that frail, homebound seniors so desperately need.
Barbara Emge
Meals On Wheels Coordinator
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