What is Meals-on-Wheels & More?
Meals-on-Wheels (MOW) is a program designed to deliver hot, nutritious meals to people age 60 or older who, due to physical limitations, are unable to prepare their own meals. Meals are prepared by the Collin County Committee on Aging (CCCOA) in McKinney and brought to Allen Community Outreach (ACO) around 10 a.m., who delivers meals for Allen, Fairview and Lucas. Meals are delivered 5 days a week, except holidays.
While Meals-on-Wheels provides a necessary service, the ACO noticed that there was an unmet need within our community for people under 60 who were disabled or recovering from an illness or accident. The “More” part of the Meals-on-Wheels & More covers these individuals and the ACO is on the only MOW agency that provides and pays for this additional service.
How to Receive Meals
If you have a need or know of someone who has a need for a home-delivered, hot meal and you live in Collin County, please contact the Collin County Committee on Aging at 972-562-6996 or ACO at 972-727-9131
Becoming a Meals-on-Wheels & More Driver
The ACO currently delivers almost 80 meals a day spread out over 8 routes. All new drivers go through an orientation but here is some general information. Each route has two containers, one for the hot meals and another for the drinks/cold items. We try to make it as easy as possible for our volunteers so each route is mapped out with step-by-step directions on how to get to each house. We try to limit each route to no more than 10 stops to keep the total time commitment to an hour or less.
We let the driver’s schedule their time. Some choose to do it a certain time every month while others will sign up as their schedule permits. We also let drivers choose which route(s) they want to drive.
The meals are only part of the Meals-on-Wheels program. For some of our clients, you, the volunteer, are the only person they may see that day. Part of the driver’s responsibility is to interact with the clients. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking them how they are doing. Any requests should be brought back to the Meals-on-Wheels Coordinator to handle. Do not promise anything or accept any money.
Since meals are guaranteed, it is very important for drivers to notify the Meals-on-Wheels Coordinator when you have a scheduling conflict as soon as possible. We have substitute drivers for this very purpose.
We value the safety and privacy of both our clients and our volunteers. We try to protect our clients’ safety by doing background checks (criminal, social security and motor vehicle) on all drivers. Also, volunteers agree that any information gained as a MOW driver is confidential and breaking that agreement could result in termination.
We try to protect our volunteers’ safety by keeping sensitive information provided to us in a safe and secure manner. When delivering, we ask volunteers to trust their instincts – if you encounter a situation that makes you feel uneasy, first remove yourself from it and then contact the office.
“I signed up to do MOW because it worked well with my schedule and I wanted to do something to help the community. But I discovered over the course of time that I was getting way more from the program than I was giving as I got to know and become friends with the people on my route. It has been a truly rewarding experience.” –MOW Driver