Agency: Meals on Wheels

Contact Person: Kim Tinsely

Meals on Wheels needs volunteers to deliver meals to homebound seniors and people with disabilities. Regular and substitute drivers are needed. The organization typically uses 14 drivers and from one to seven substitutes a day. Drivers pick up from three to six meals between 11:30 a.m. to noon at Lawrence Memorial Hospital and deliver them. The program operates Monday to Friday. It usually takes an hour or less to deliver the meals.

Delivery volunteers must have valid insurance and a driver’s license. Volunteers who want to help but do not have either of these may work from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. preparing food at the hospital.

Last week’s results

Douglas County Senior Services has found a match for 45 elderly residents in their Adopt a Senior program. They still have five seniors who need to be adopted and plan to receive 15 to 20 more applications to the program. If you would like to provide a senior with a holiday gift from his or her wish list, call 842-0543.

Immediate volunteer needs

l Health Care Access Clinic is seeing many clients struggling with the rising cost of health insurance and several who have lost jobs and health coverage. The clinic sees them so their medical conditions can be treated early, precluding an expensive trip to the emergency room. The clinic can serve these individuals for as little as a dollar a day per patient because of volunteer health providers and medication donations. Volunteers can assist at the clinic in several ways or they can adopt a patient and help cover their health care needs. The clinic especially needs physicians, registered nurses or others trained in the medical field. For more information, visit www.healthcareaccess.org or call 841-5760.

• Mother to Mother, a nonprofit organization that supports low-income mothers and their children, hopes volunteers will help provide the people they serve a nice holiday. The group needs donations of small toys for boys and girls, items for food baskets, a tree and carolers or musicians to play at their holiday party. To help, contact LeQuetta Diggs at 841-0838.
• The Community Drop In Center needs office help through December, when KU students go home. They also need donations of gloves, socks, knit hats, blankets and coats for the winter months as well as household items such as plates, cups, silverware, and pots or pans for clients moving into apartments. During the holidays they also need donations of gift items such as Walkmans, AA batteries, flashlights, sleeping bags, tents or other presents for their holiday gift program. Call 832-8864 to volunteer or donate.
• Pelathe Community Center would like more volunteers to staff the food pantry so they can expand their hours and days to better meet the needs of the families they serve. Pelathe is open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Thursday. Pelathe serves about 125 families per month from the food pantry. During the holidays, Pelathe helps families through the Holiday Bureau. To volunteer or make a donation please contact Melvina Yazzie at 841-7202
• Kansas Wildscape Foundation is a nonprofit, private foundation dedicated to providing outdoor opportunities for Kansans. It needs office help on Wednesday mornings. Call Rachael Humphrey at 843-9453 to help.

For more volunteer opportunities call the Roger Hill Volunteer Center, a service of the United Way of Douglas County, at 865-5030 or go online at www.rhvc.org