Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Meals on Wheels in Davis County faces volunteer shortages as meal demand rises.
- Director Rachelle Blackham cites growing older adult community and rising grocery costs.
- The program distributes about 300 meals a day, five days a week; program funding has decreased this year.
CLEARFIELD — If you have the spare time to give, volunteers like Maury Kettell say Meals on Wheels is a good place to spend it.
"I like to help people," Kettle said. "That's a good thing in my life. And I get a social connection when I do that."
Unfortunately, the program in Davis County is facing a shortage of good volunteers like Kettell, just as the need for more help with meals is going up. The program distributes about 300 meals a day, five days a week, through the county's senior centers in Clearfield, Kaysville and Bountiful.
"Our older adult community is growing," Rachelle Blackham, Davis County's Senior Services director, explained. "We need about 20 volunteers a day to help us throughout those three centers. And unfortunately, different things have kept individuals from being able to volunteer."
Blackham said the program ideally needs about 20 to 30 more volunteers to keep up with demand that she believes is going up, partly because of the increasing cost of groceries. At the same time, those cost increases are adding to the program's challenges.
"We received less funding this year than we have the last two years," Blackham said. "So, as the need is going up and the funding is actually going down."
Blackham said anyone 18 and older can volunteer. Deliveries are made from county-owned vehicles, but volunteers do not necessarily need to drive as they head out on their routes in teams of two. They'd also like volunteers to commit to at least one day a week, from about 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Kettell said in addition to helping other people, the time he spends with Meals on Wheels helps him too.
"I get to come out every day. I'm doing something with my life, and I get to talk to my friends," Kettell said. "Some we get to know really well."
Many of the clients look forward to the social interaction, as some do not get many visitors.
"When I see them, it makes me feel like they're my second family," Bonnie Carter said, after receiving a meal at her home in Clearfield. "And it helps me with meals that sometimes we don't get to eat. It helps us have a meal for the day."
Hearing about the need for more volunteers, Carter put out her own plea.
"Please take the time, only a couple hours a day to help us out," Carter said. "We need all that you can help. Please come and help us out. We need you."
You can find information about volunteering at www.daviscountyutah.gov/volunteer and looking under "Health Department."
