Meals on Wheels Makes a Difference - by Michaele Bradley
From her roots as a high school cheerleader in New Jersey, to roles as a wife, mother and teacher in Loveland and Fort Collins, Jean Kenny is still active at the age of ninety-four. To continue to live on her own, Jean needs a helping hand, and Meals on Wheels Fort Collins (MOWFC) gives her the support she needs.
Jean is content and cheerful. She receives appetizing, nutritious, Meals on Wheels five days a week. Jean says, “Volunteers are so pleasant, and they all have a good sense of humor.” In addition to her cooked meals, she receives a “blizzard bag” once a year of non-perishable food to be used on those days when the volunteers cannot get out on the road. She says this extra food is “above and beyond.”
Jean has a son and two granddaughters who live in Fort Collins as well as a number of good friends who also help her when the need arises. The volunteer from MOW acts like an unofficial pair of eyes. Unless otherwise instructed, the volunteers call the office if they have not seen the client during the delivery.
Meals on Wheels has been in the Fort Collins community for 52 years. Currently they have 360 clients, and 300 volunteers and youth groups help deliver meals. Last year volunteers delivered 76,465 meals to older adults and people with disabilities. The nutrition staff at Poudre Valley Hospital prepares and cooks all of the meals.
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I (Mike) have been a volunteer for a year with MOWFC and have thoroughly enjoyed my time. I have an assigned route, so I have gotten to know most of the people. The driving and delivery time of my route takes about an hour. MOWFC is very appreciative of their volunteer help. We get pleasant surprises at unexpected times: one cold morning we were surprised with breakfast burritos and hot coffee, another time an ice cream social cooled us all off on a hot summer day. MOWFC goes out of their way to honor their volunteers.
In addition, we are celebrated during volunteer week with events such as picnics or items such as community gift cards. MOWFC is a great place to volunteer.
If you are interested in doing so, the web site is: mealsonwheelsfc.org: you can find an application under the tab “Volunteer.”
If you want to sign up for meals at MOWFC, use this link: Client Application | Meals on Wheels Fort Collins (mealsonwheelsfc.org). The application for client services is under eligibility.
Michaele Bradley has lived in Fort Collins for 31 years. In addition to writing, Mike likes
gardening, volunteering and helping her friends. Growing up in California and working in hospital and non-profit settings helped her to learn the value of volunteers.
