The Sedona Meals on Wheels program, run by the Sedona Community Center, is seeking more volunteer drivers to deliver meals to people throughout the community.

The program recently saw its number of volunteers decrease by about 30%, from 100 to 70, and as a result, it had to adjust its offerings.

“We have a great base of secondary drivers, but we just don't have enough,” Kristen Paduchowski, the center's marketing manager, said Monday, Jan. 8.looking for [to fill]. For example, there will be no drivers on Route 1 uptown this Wednesday.Therefore, we will ship it frozen. [meals] Tomorrow's Meals on Wheels customers will be able to eat on Wednesday. ”

Sedona Meals on Wheel delivers an average of 80 to 90 meals each day, Monday through Friday. To do this, we need seven drivers for fixed delivery routes and Village of Oak Creek delivery routes.

“Meals on Wheels is a service we provide to the elders of Sedona and Oak Creek Village,” Padukowsky said. “It can be costly, but it's not necessarily costly. What we're doing is asking for independent contributions, which means we'll give you a statement showing how much we owe you. You can choose to pay for it in full, in part, or not at all. We are not a billing service…we are funded by the City. By providing Sedona for Sedona residents, we receive funding from the State of Arizona and the Northern Arizona Council of Governments. However, much of our funding comes from individual donations through tax credit programs and , comes from members of the public who donate to us.”

We regularly receive applications for meal delivery services, but the number of drivers is very small.

“This is a volunteer position,” Padkowski said. Drivers provide their own vehicles and are not paid for gas. “I don't know if gas prices have anything to do with it. Sedona is a very rich volunteer community, so there are a lot of places that need volunteers, but there are too many places that want to volunteer. Don't you feel like you have to choose where to volunteer because so few people do? …There are so many places to volunteer that it's only in the community that there is a shortage of volunteers.”

Volunteer drivers are typically committed one day a week, Monday through Friday, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Meals on Wheels requires participants to commit for at least one year.

“Four routes converge here and receive their routes and food,” Padukowsky said. “[Drivers] We count all the food in the cooler and warm bags, load it into the car, and head out. Usually it's a time commitment. I don't ask for anything after the fact…I don't have many responsibilities, I just want to help and be kind. ”

Volunteers need to use a vehicle large enough to hold a 48-quart cooler, warm bags of food and, in some cases, milk crates of frozen food. No special qualifications are required to become a driver, but a background check and fingerprint verification are required. Meals on Wheel will cover the cost and the process usually takes about six weeks.

“You can go out with the driver who has been fingerprinted while you wait for the background check to come back. [a client’s] It’s home,” Padkowski said. “We set up a route accompanied by a fingerprinted driver to learn different routes. We provide an atlas of where the client lives…we are about to send [new drivers] Drive on a few different roads until you get your permit back. That way they can do the real route with someone again or move on alone. ”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Sedona Meals on Wheels. A small fundraising event themed “Meal March” is planned for late March, and an anniversary ceremony is planned for late September. Details for both events will be announced at a later date.

“In 1984, Margaret Flynn and a friend started a Meals on Wheels program. [in Sedona] We step out of our homes and provide much-needed services to our communities,” SCC’s website states. “The project quickly grew to such an extent that even with donations from local merchants such as Basha and Weber, we were no longer able to prepare meals at home. Kachina Point was contacted and decided to provide the meals. I agreed, took it to the old Yellow Front/Checker Auto strip mall, chained a large cooler to a telephone pole in front of Flicker Shack, and dropped the meal there. Volunteer drivers then picked up and distributed the meals. The Meals on Wheels program was adopted in 1985 and remains our core. ”

“It feels really good,” Padukowsky said. “People appreciate the food they get from us. We know our drivers love their jobs, otherwise they wouldn't do something like that. You is helping the community and helping the elders. [One] Although the couple had just retired last year, they were older than some of the people they delivered to. So maybe if you're in Sedona and you're going to be here long enough, someday you might be in that position, and you like to treat people the way you want to be treated. is. Our drivers do that. They truly care about the people they serve. ”

For more information or to apply to become a volunteer Sedona Meals on Wheels driver, please visit: sccsedona.org Or call us at (928) 282-2834.