Meals on Wheels seeks volunteers in Newport Beach
Meals on Wheels Orange County began servicing Newport Beach over the last few months.
The nonprofit offers meal delivery and lunch café programs for senior citizens in the area, but the mission goes beyond that, Meals on Wheels Orange County vice president of advancement Darla Olson said.
According to the National Institute on Aging, the health risks of prolonged isolation are the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
“This population is so grateful, and will go out of their way to tell you how much this means to them, that knock on the door, that check-in, that conversation,” Olson said. “We know that it’s not just the nutritious meal they’re receiving, it’s that socialization that is just as equally important.”
Meals on Wheels Orange County, which has already established programs in Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Fountain Valley, is seeking more volunteers to deliver meals for the Newport Beach program run out of Oasis Senior Center in Corona del Mar.
Olson said there are 47 volunteers at the site, but Meals on Wheels needs an additional 10 volunteers per week. The program is funded in part through a grant from the California Department of Aging and administered by the Orange County Office on Aging.
More than 70% of the program is funded by the state, Olson said.
“Our team’s job is to garner the community support,” she said. “With the growing [senior] population, we’re going to need a lot more support from the community. Also, inflation. A lot of factors are making it very difficult to meet the needs.”
The new site in Newport Beach came after the Orange County Office on Aging reshuffled the boundaries for service in July, Olson said, bringing Meals on Wheels to 24 centers in 21 cities in the county. Newport Beach was previously serviced by Age Well Senior Services, another nonprofit that provides for elderly and largely serves south Orange County.
Steve Pischel, 67, has remained on as a volunteer in Newport Beach, along with his wife Marilee, 60. His route on Tuesday mornings consists of delivering food to five seniors at a complex nearby.
“Some of them are real talkative,” said Pischel, who has been volunteering delivering meals for close to two years now. “We’ve gotten to know a couple of them really well, where they share pictures of their grandchildren with us and give us an update. It’s really been sweet to be able to get to know them, feel like we’re making an impact. We get as much out of it as they do, I think.”
One of the seniors on his route is Trudy, 95, whose last name is not being published for privacy reasons.
Trudy said she has been receiving the visits for 13 years and appreciates the tasty meals, which are made at Meals on Wheels Orange County’s 22,000-square-foot kitchen in Anaheim.
“The volunteers are wonderful,” she said. “I can’t say enough good things about them. It’s so nice to get ready and wait to greet someone. They might be the only people who I get to talk to that day.”
Each senior in the home-delivered meal program has a case manager who checks in with them and does in-home assessments.
Meals on Wheels Orange County has just introduced new options like Hispanic-inspired and Asian-inspired meals, as well as a vegetarian menu and a lactose-free menu, Olson said.
Additionally, Oasis hosts a lunch café every weekday at 11 a.m. There’s a suggested donation of $3 for those aged 60 or older, while it’s $5 for those under 60.
The lunch café has been averaging about 10 people per day, but a Halloween party last week brought nearly 50 people, many of them dressed for the occasion.
Pischel and his wife both have a heart for seniors, he said, so volunteering was an easy decision. He noted that adult volunteers can bring their parents with them on a route, or their children, who can earn valuable volunteer hours for school credit.
“It’s easy, and it’s fun,” Pischel said. “There’s just all different situations. There’s folks that are having physical challenges who just can’t get out. There’s others who just can’t afford it, so this is a good way for them to still get a healthy meal. A lot of different scenarios, but everybody seems to appreciate it and it’s a good asset to have in this community.”
Most volunteers commit one day per week, and delivery routes take between an hour and 90 minutes in the morning to complete on average.
Those interested can learn more at mealsonwheelsoc.org/get-involved. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, and background checks are required to serve the vulnerable population.
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