Meals on Wheels works through cold and snow to serve North Texas seniors
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Meals on Wheels volunteers are a vital resource for hungry homebound seniors year-round – and a lifeline for seniors during dangerously cold weather.
Every Monday through Friday, members of the Visiting Nurse Association's Meals on Wheels team spread out across Dallas, bringing meals to up to 6,000 seniors.
They make deliveries – even in the frigid cold – to make sure seniors don't go hungry. They also put emergency plans in place during bad weather in case volunteers can't get out to the seniors
"We have already supplied all of our 4,500 clients with shelf stable meals. They have a week's worth," said Jennifer Austin, the Visiting Nurse Association's Managing Director of Development and Communications.
During the deadly February 2021 storm, they were often the first contact many seniors had with the outside world in days.
"I get emotional thinking about it because some of our clients were really scared and they were getting hungry and they were cold," said Austin. "I had one client, Patricia, who was a cancer survivor, and she was just so excited to see us and told us that she thought she wasn't going to make it, that she had survived cancer but that this cold was going to kill her."
Along with meals, they deliver heaters to anyone who needs one. Today, Jennifer is delivering a meal and a heater to Leila, who's turning 100 next month.
"I like it and I appreciate you bringing it and I want to use it," said Eulalia Banuelos.
"We really become like family to the clients we deliver to. We genuinely care about how they're doing, and they care about us. They ask about our kids. It's a friendship that's like no other," said Austin.
On Friday December 23, Meals on Wheels volunteers will be delivering holiday turkey meals and gifts to 4,500 seniors across Dallas County, but they can't do it without more help. They're in need of volunteers after cancellations due to the cold. If you are a fully onboarded Meals on Wheels volunteer and you're available to help out Friday morning, you can go to the following links to sign up:
You can also sign up for training to become a Meals on Wheels volunteer year round at volunteer.vnatexas.org