The Massillon Rotary Club Adopts A Route!

Meal On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties welcomes the Massillon Rotary Club as our newest "Adopt-a-Route" participant! This morning the club began a regular schedule of delivering meals on a Massillon route every other Friday.

Richard Regula (pictured with Linda Spielman, our volunteer coordinator) was the first member to deliver on behalf of the Massillon club. Richard is director of market outreach at Mercy Medical Center in Canton.

Adopting a route is easy, and is a great way for your company or organization to help out in the community. You simply select a route at one of our locations nearest you, and then members of your organization or company sign up to deliver on a rotating basis. The more people who help, the easier it gets!

More important, you'll be making a difference in the lives of our homebound clients. Not only will you deliver food to those in need, but your team members may be the only people some of our clients see during the day. We provide more than a meal -- we offer companionship, compassion, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing someone is checking in on them during the day.

To become an Adopt-a-Route sponsor, contact Linda at 330-832-7220.

Acknowledging Our Dedicated Volunteers During National Volunteer Week

Meals On Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties gratefully acknowledges the dedicated service of our volunteers, in honor of National Volunteer Week, April 10-16.

With more than 60 routes to cover daily, we depend on a volunteer staff that numbers well over 300. Included in that are people of various ages who volunteer on a regular basis, substitute drivers who help us when there's an immediate need, and corporate volunteer teams, who perform a valuable community service by delivering to clients near to their office or factory location.

Our volunteers not only deliver meals, they provide peace of mind for our clients and their loved ones by providing that daily check to make sure everyone, and everything, is OK. Often, our volunteers are the only people our clients see during the day.

On behalf of all of us at Meals On Wheels, we offer a big thank you to our volunteers for making a difference in the lives of our homebound neighbors.

Your Company Can Volunteer: The Adopt-A-Route Program

Businesses and organizations large and small in Stark and Wayne counties have discovered that Meals On Wheels is the perfect volunteer opportunity for their employees. We provide about 2,000 meals a day, Monday through Friday, with volunteer drivers covering more than 60 routes from 20 sites.

Through our ‘Adopt a Route’ program, your business or organization can make a difference for homebound people throughout the region. You simply select a route at a site close to your location, and then commit to delivering on a regular basis -- weekly, or biweekly, based on your schedule and employee availability.

Employees sign up at your locations and typically work in teams of two, rotating on a week-by-week basis. The more people who volunteer, the less frequently any one individual is asked to assist. Volunteers arrive at our sites around 10:45, and routes take between 60 and 90 minutes to complete.

The benefits to your company or organization are numerous. Delivering meals to the homebound promotes team-building and morale, and provides busy employees with an opportunity to be active in community service without taking away precious evening and weekend time with their families.

It also enhances your reputation as a community partner, allowing for greater social responsibility at minimal cost.

To take advantage of this community service opportunity and help the homebound by volunteering with the Meals On Wheels Adopt-A-Route program, call our volunteer department at 330-832-7220.