Meals on Wheels West Shore seeks volunteers amid nationwide shortage

Meals on Wheels West Shore, which serves the communities of Rocky River, Fairview Park and Lakewood, is seeking help amid a nationwide shortage of volunteers. 

The West Shore chapter, which provides 60 meals a day to individuals in the area, has an urgent need for delivery drivers as its volunteer numbers dwindle and summer and fall bring growing needs to the area. 

Liz Papaleo, volunteer outreach coordinator for Meals on Wheels of West Shore, said the need in the West Shore region is rising as volunteer numbers drop. In July alone, she lost two regular drivers. 

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“For a while we were in a plateau,” she said. “I’m noticing, we may have one or two clients drop off…but for every one that’s dropping off, I’m getting two to replace it.” 

This is part of a national trend of volunteer shortages and a waitlist crisis in the organization. According to an August 4 report by Meals on Wheels America, one-third of all Meals on Wheels providers have a waitlist, on which nearly 46,000 seniors are waiting nationally. 

There are eight delivery routes West Shore volunteer drivers deliver to in Rocky River and Lakewood. These routes are either driven by regular volunteer drivers or substitute drivers, who fill in when the need arises. And the need is rising, Papaleo said.

“Some people have been called back to their regular positions full-time,” she said. “A lot of our volunteers came on during COVID.”

Papaleo said sometimes volunteers are the only contact clients make with the outside world. 

“Our volunteers really get to know their clients,” she said. “The clients, they’re so happy. A lot of times, I’ve been told, this could be the only outside contact a person has. With a delivery person bringing them their meals.”

Some drivers, Papaleo said, even bring their pets on their routes to cheer up clients who are often isolated due to age or disability.

“Those people are in their glory when those pets come,” she said. 

Sometimes, Papaleo said, drivers can mean the difference between life and death for those with lack of support. 

She recalled one instance where a driver grew concerned for a regular client whose door was ajar when he arrived for a delivery. Upon receiving no response from inside the house, the authorities were contacted to perform a wellness check. 

“Her son finally did get back with me, and the client was in a car accident and was doing something with her car and in the hurry of everything didn’t think to call and tell us ‘hey don’t bring my meal by.’ But our volunteers are always checking,” Papaleo said. 

Meals on Wheels West Shore runs two kitchens, one in Fairview Park and another in Rocky River, where there is always a need for cook, kitchen and driver volunteers, Papaleo said. They also help keep community gardens. Drivers typically drive short routes that last about an hour. 

“These are volunteers, they’re not getting paid,” Papaleo said. “They’re doing it because I think they really know it’s very fulfilling to them and the recipients who are receiving the meals.”