PEMBROKE — The Scotland County Meals on Wheels program could use a few willing soles to help the elderly in the community.
The program currently has 10 volunteers, all from Scotland County, to aid in delivering meals to the community and some of these volunteers are covering routes up to three times a week. The Scotland County routes aer located in Laurinburg, Wagram and Laurel Hill.
Meals are generally delivered anywhere from 10:30 a.m. to noon based on the volunteer route and pick-up times. Volunteers normally spend about one hour on the route delivering meals. More volunteers could mean relief for those putting in extra hours as well as possibly provide more meals for those in need.
“Volunteers are a vital part of the Meals on Wheels program,” said Twilla Allen, MSW Aging Program administrator Lumber River Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging, “The program would not exist in the full capacity that it does now without them.”
The three routes are currently delivering between 10 and 12 meals each per day. Allen added they strive to keep the integrity of the meals intact, therefore they limit the number of stops to ensure they are delivered while still warm.
“They provide a really important service for our elderly and shut-ins,” said Coy Moody, executive director for the Scotland County United Way, “It’s more than just delivering a meal, it provides outside contact and conversation that they may not have and possibly even friendships.”
Home delivered meals receive funding through federal, state and local dollars. The Lumber River Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging is a partner with United Way of Scotland County to fund Meals on Wheels. The partnership has enabled the agency to remove clients from the waiting list. Because of the funding, the Meals and Wheels program is available to senior citizens in need of meals to receive them at no cost — however, clients are provided the opportunity to voluntarily contribute back to the program through a consumer contribution policy.
“We enjoy our partnership with them,” said Moody. “We have been partners with them for several years and, in 2019, we were able to provide funding for more people to receive meals.”
Any elderly or shut-in that may be in need of Meals on Wheels, as well as anyone interested in learning more about the requirements of volunteering, can contact Allen or Ursula Selles, aging specialist, at 910-618-5533.
JJ Melton can be contacted by phone at 1-910-506-3169 or by email at [email protected].