Meals on Wheels People looking for at least 200 volunteers to serve as ‘chatters’ for Thanksgiving

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With the number of COVID-19 infections at their highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic, Thanksgiving is going to look a little different this year, and Meals on Wheels is no different. 

Because of the pandemic, Meals on Wheels People will not be delivering meals on Thanksgiving day. Rather, all homebound seniors who request a holiday meal will receive one earlier in the week along with their regular weekly meal delivery. 

However, the program wants to ensure that no senior will be lonely on Thanksgiving Day and is recruiting 500 volunteers to make calls to homebound elderly on Thanksgiving as a part of it’s Friendly Chats Program. As of the beginning of November, the organization was in need of 200 more volunteers. 



The Meals on Wheels People launched the Friendly Chat Program earlier this year as it moved to a safer once-a-week, no-contact delivery model. While the new model was efficient and safer, it also reduced the face-to-face contact with delivery drivers. The organization recruited more than 1,000 volunteers to make calls to homebound particiaptns once or twice a week just to chat and thousands of elderly have registered for the program that has proven to be popular. 

Those interested in volunteering for the program can send an email to julie.piperfinley@mowp.org.