For more information please call or write: Meals On Wheels Referrals Felicia Swavely, Program Manager 16 South Fourth Street Reading, PA 19601 Phone: (610) 376-8282 Fax: (610) 376-5141 Meals On Wheels Volunteer Information Bitsy Galaska, Volunteer Coordinator 16 South Fourth Street Reading, PA 19601 Phone: (610) 376-8282 Fax: (610) 376-5141 Have you ever considered this rewarding opprtunity? In just one hour per month, you can contribute to the well-being of our community by delivering meals to frail, hoomebound older adults. Most routes take less than 60 minutes to complete and are assigned in your geographical area. Delivery teams are made up of drivers and runners. Imagine the difference you will make in the community by improving the quality of life for senior adults. The Lutheran Home At Topton 1 South Home Avenue Topton, PA 19562-1399 (800) 322-9597

Senior Center Meals On Wheels Programs Making tomorrow better than yesterday for over 6,000 children, families and adults in five counties everyday, without regard to race, creed or ethnic origin. MEALS ON WHEELS DELIVERS Cora Lives alone. She cannot get aropund anymore since she fell and broke her hip. Her family lives out of state and she has no living relatives left in the area. Doctors reccommend that she not cook due to the possible risk of falling. What is Cora to do? Enter Meals on Wheels (MOW). Meals on wheels is a program designed to help and assist in situations similar to Cora's dilemna. "Meals on wheels often makes it possible for a person to remain independent and at home, " states Felicia Swavely, Program Manager for Meals on Wheels. "Meals on Wheels can provide short-term assistance for someone recuperating from surgery or an illness or can provide long-term service when needed." Eligibility is based entirely upon each person's need. The typical MOW client is 60 years old or older, must be totally homebound, clients must be unable to prepare meals, have no family or friends to assist with meal preparation, have no access to a Senior Center close to home and have no cooking facilities at home. Requests for MOWs may be made by the homebound person, a family member or doctor. In addition, hospital discharge planners, visiting nurse associations, and social service agencies refer eligible patients to the MOWs office. Normally, an in-home assessment must precede service start-up. Elligibility for MOW depends entirely upon person's need, NOT financial situation. First-time service also depends upon there being available space on the MOW route nearest the client's home. A food service company is contracted to prepare all meals and send them in bulk to Senior Centers where center volunteers repackage the food for MOW delivery. CLients recieve a hot, noon-time meal each weekday. Each dinner provides 1/3 RDA basic nutrients. Meals are low-salt, low-sugar and low-fat which accomodate most prescription diets ordered by client's physicians. Each week, volunteers who delivers meals provide the client an envelope into which a voluntary and confidential donation may be placed. The suggested donation is $2.00. Personal checks are accepted. Food stamps are accepted. Some families prefer to send checks weekly or monthly directly to the Meals on Wheels office. Meals are delivered to a person's home as long as there is a proven need. Periodicin-home re-evaluations by the case manager agency are necessary to document the need for long term service. A client or his family may stop MOW at any time the need ceases to exist. A recipient may appeal service termination if he disagrees with the evaluating agency's decision to stop the meals. THE CRUCIAL COMPONENT Volunteers are what makes Meals on Wheels work! Volunteer delivery teams include a driver and a runner. Each team is assigned a day on a specific geographical route covering 10 to 21 clients. Drivers use their own vehicles and are reimbursed for mileage if they wish. Runners take each pre-packaged meal from the car into the client's home. One program that is generating increased press coverage is the "Adopt-A-Route" Program. Companies in Berks county have rallied to the cause in their community by allowing employees to volunteer during lunch/company time to deliver meals in their area. A company selects one day, weekly or monthly for delivery. Two volunteer employees, a runner and a driver, are selected to deliver meals on that chosen weekday. The volunteer team is assigned a geographically convenient delivery route. The meals are picked up from a local Senior Center. Delivery takes approximately 45 minutes. A volunteer coordinator, within the company, is identified to schedule employees and serve as a liaison with the Senior Center/Meals on Wheels Office. All training for volunteers, whether individual or corporation, is performed by the knowledgeable staff of The Lutheran Home's Senior Center Office. There are ten Senior Centers administered by The Lutheran Homeat Topton and funded in part under a contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging through Berks County Commissioners and Berks County Office of Aging.