More volunteers are needed to meet the growing demand for meal deliveries to Douglas County senior citizens.

“I’ve got about 13 people on a waiting list to get meals at home,” said Kim Wittman, manager of the Douglas County Senior Meals program. “What we need to do is open another route for deliveries. But to do that, we need more volunteers.”

Wittman said she was hopeful those volunteers could be recruited Saturday, when Douglas County Senior Services and Kansas Public Radio will hold the Third Annual March for Meals, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., at the Lawrence High School track.

“The waiting list is telling us the need for these meals is increasing and that people are staying on the program longer,” she said. “In the past, we used to have a lot more turnover.”

The program serves about 260 meals a day. Most are delivered by 55 volunteers directly to homes, but roughly 45 percent are served at six different “congregation sites” throughout the county.

“March for Meals is a way for us to raise awareness about the program, but it’s also a way to raise funds,” Wittman said.

People can register at the event to participate in the walk/run benefit, and those who raise $25 or more will receive a “March for Meals” T-shirt, Wittman said.

Those interested in being donors and volunteers can call 842-0543.

Douglas County Senior Services