Molly McGuire- Meals On Wheels

Molly McGuire

Project Link

4/23/2013

Where the student volunteered their time

1)      I volunteered my time the Meals on Wheels organization in my hometwon. I helped prepare the meals at the Hospital and then delivered the meals to many different residents in my hometown. During the deliveries me and the other volunteer I was paired with would not only deliver the meal but also would bring a bagged lunch for later in the day and also would visit with the resident. Most of the individuals we saw were living in poverty, they were disabled, or they were just lonely.

How the service activity reflected concepts learned in the current FCS course (FCS 4840), and/or other FCS courses

2)      Volunteering for Meals on Wheels was a very eye opening experience and it reflected greatly on the education I have received here at Eastern Illinois University. In many of my courses we have discussed how older adults can feel lonely and how just taking some time out of your day to speak to someone can be very important to their health and wellbeing. I know that Meals on Wheels is much more than just delivering a meal to someone, it might be the only communication that person has the whole day. In my Aging in the Family class and in other courses we have discussed how depression due to isolation among the elderly is very common. Meals on Wheels is one way to reduce that isolation and ensure that individuals are getting the nutrients they need. Like we discussed in FCS 4840, older individuals might not have the mobility to get food, or they might not have the appetite to eat. Meals on Wheels can help in many different ways, not only eating.

How the student networked with other professionals while participating in the activity and what they GAINED from that networking

3)      While working with Meals on Wheels, I worked with a dietitian at the hospital while making the meals and I also worked with other volunteers who have very kind hearts and just want to help others. The dietitian showed us the different diets of some of the residents, this was very important for the residents because some had different medical problems that needed a special diet. The dietitian was very careful and showed all the volunteers how important it was to get everything just right. When we went out on the deliveries, I was paired up with an older woman who was very sweet. She always volunteers for the organization because she knows many of her friends count on the program and she cares for those people and wants to make sure that they are receiving food and comfort.

The potential effect the service activity and/or the service organization can have (or does have) on the community

4)      The effect this service has on the community is a great one and very important one. I know that the residents we delivered to were very grateful for our service, and they counted on it. If the Meals on Wheels program wasn’t available to these individuals then it would be very difficult or impossible for these individuals to have a healthy meal because of lack of money, mobility, or care from other people. I am happy that this service is available to older adults in my community.

A general reflection on the assignment (e.g., reactions, feelings, life lessons)

5)      I loved volunteering for this program. I realized how important it is for these types of programs to be available to older adults. There are so many things we take for granted, that older individuals might not have available to them due to different factors. Volunteering for this program it not only was an eye opener to this problem in my community but also I realized how little is really being done for the older population. Meals on Wheels is doing what they can and is an awesome organization. Although I feel like there are so many more services that I feel our community could create for individuals. I feel like the more people need to be aware of the Meals on Wheels service because they could always use more volunteers and I feel like others would be willing and would want to help they just need to be aware. I plan to volunteer with Meals on Wheels again soon.