Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Volunteers are needed to help pack meals for homebound senior citizens in Livingston County.

Meals on Wheels prepares meals and delivers them to homebound individuals Monday through Friday. For some seniors, the program is their only food source and in those cases, frozen meals will be delivered for the weekend.

MOW Outreach Director Candie Hovarter says they really need people to help them pack meals in the mornings – noting it is early as volunteers start packing at 6am and are usually done by 8:30am. The kitchen is located in the old Hartland High School off M-59.

While meals are packed Monday through Friday, Hovarter says they’re very flexible and people can volunteer for whatever their schedule allows.

Hovarter added they’re also coming into a time when they’ll lose drivers - as many of their senior drivers who volunteer head to Florida and other places for the winter – so they could use those too. She says people can pick up routes or volunteer to be a sub, adding they’re welcome to bring their kids, spouse, or a friend along with them.

Hovarter told WHMI besides the food, volunteers serve as a friendly face and someone to chit-chat with and make sure a senior is ok – adding it’s a friend who also might be the only person they see all day. She said it’s fun and the seniors they serve are pretty interesting and always have neat things to share.

Additionally, this Saturday will be a “Blizzard Box” delivery and Hovarter says shelf-stable food will be dropped off in case they can’t come out due to winter weather. She says they bring frozen meals and shelf-stable items to help get the seniors by until they come out again.

More information is available in the provided links.