Meals on Wheels People seeks 500 volunteers to make calls to local homebound seniors on Thanksgiving as part of the nonprofit’s Friendly Chats program.
Due to COVID-19, Meals on Wheels People will not deliver meals on Thanksgiving Day to its Portland metro area clients. Rather, those who request a holiday meal will receive one earlier in the week with their regular weekly meal delivery.
During the pandemic the nonprofit moved to a no-contact delivery model, delivering meals once weekly. The move increased the safety of volunteers and participants and was more efficient, but it also reduced face-to-face contact — a key to reducing social isolation among the elderly.
Through the popular Friendly Chats program, which launched in the spring, volunteers make calls to homebound seniors once or twice weekly. Besides seeking people to call seniors on Thanksgiving Day, the nonprofit is also recruiting bilingual volunteers who speak languages such as Spanish, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, Hmong and Farsi.
Volunteers can apply online at mowp.org/volunteer.
