Diane and Alan Sanders, Lawrence, volunteers with Meals on Wheels, pick up their meals Thursday at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Meals on Wheels' volunteer drivers deliver approximately 110 meals daily to people in the Lawrence community.

In her more than 30 years delivering food at lunchtime for Lawrence Meals on Wheels, Diane Sanders has grown fond of some people on her route.

“I should listen to their problems, but more important, they listen to mine. They’re just part of my extended family,” said Sanders, who still delivers once a week with her husband, Dr. Alan Sanders, a retired Lawrence Memorial Hospital pathologist.

Having dedicated volunteer drivers is critical to the organization’s success, executive director Kim Culliss said, especially now that leaders have added a 20th route to help deliver more than 110 meals each day.

Demand has increased in the last several years for the doctor-prescribed meals made at LMH for clients who are dependent or aging. Typically, the organization seeks new volunteers in the late spring because many Kansas University student volunteers are about to leave town.

“We’re used to it this time of year, but with the increased number of routes, our need is greater than it has ever been,” Culliss said.

The organization has more than 100 volunteers who drive at least for an hour once a week, but with the new route, Culliss hopes to pick up 10 new drivers soon.

Also, the nonprofit organization is gearing up for its annual major fundraiser, a silent and live auction on Thursday.