Community members in New Hanover County are being asked to volunteer as drivers for the Senior Resource Center’s Home Delivered Meals Program. The Nutrition Program serves more than 700 seniors each weekday, delivering meals to eligible residents aged 60 and older who are homebound.
According to Senior Resource Center Director Amber Smith, “Our volunteer drivers for the Home Delivered Meals Program play such a key role in the health and well-being of older adults in our community. Along with making sure people have access to nutritional meals, these volunteers also get to engage with homebound individuals in the community and provide crucial interaction for social health. If someone is looking for a meaningful and rewarding way to give back to the community, I certainly hope they’ll consider this program.”
Volunteers who drive regular routes are expected to commit at least one day per week, though additional days are possible based on availability. Substitute drivers are also needed when regular volunteers are unavailable. The schedule is flexible according to each volunteer’s needs.
Each delivery route takes about two hours. Volunteers receive a GPS-enabled smartphone for navigation assistance. Meal pick-up occurs at the Senior Resource Center on S College Road between 9:30-10:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.
Training is included as part of orientation, and shadowing opportunities can be arranged for new volunteers. Orientation sessions take place monthly at the Senior Resource Center.
For those interested in volunteering, more information can be found at SRC.NHCgov.com/volunteer, by emailing SRCnutrition@nhcgov.com or calling 910-798-6423.
In other local news, recent data from New Hanover County school districts show that among senior students taking the science portion of the ACT during the 2022-23 school year, just over 30 percent were considered college-ready (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/). For junior students taking the same test, slightly more than 27 percent met college readiness benchmarks (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/).
