Lesson Learned: Towards Building Efficiency by Offering Volunteer Options

Janet Frick

Currently our staff and volunteers are integrating duties. Many of our RFW drivers now start their day by loading an energy efficient Prius with approximately a dozen meals which they deliver before driving clients to their medical appointments. The volunteers embrace the variety of tasks. “Independent Aging” is about change and we are looking to implement new ideas to create an efficient and sustainable program and agency.

Just last month we started a new program, “Meals Plus Program” that offers a bag of fresh vegetables and fruits once a week to many homebound Meals on Wheels clients. These individuals tend to be the community’s most vulnerable citizens and they can benefit from the nutritional boost from the local produce in their daily diet. In Krisha McCoy’s article, “Getting the Fruits and Vegetables you Need”, she states that the fiber from these foods may reduce the risk of certain cancers, high blood pressure and heart disease. The Meals Plus Program can potentially encourage healthy aging, considering that only about 30% of older adults who are 65 years and older are eating the recommended daily serving of vegetables and fruits (McCoy, 2014).

The “Meals Plus Program” will provide nutritious choices through collaboration with the following community partners: Utah State University Extension, Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation Wheeler Historic Farm, Bell Organic and Genesis Youth Center and many more community participants. These partnerships are helping to create a good situation for all parties involved. Plus, this is another volunteer opportunity that we can offer our current and new volunteers who may like to assist in growing or harvesting produce to not only enhance our clients’ nutrition but also improve our County’s older adults’ lives, a concept that supports Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services mission statement: "Promoting independence of aging generations through advocacy, engagement and access to resources.”


Lesson Learned: Towards Building Efficiency by Offering Volunteer Options Janet Frick Currently our staff and volunteers are integrating duties. Many of our RFW drivers now start their day by loading an energy efficient Prius with approximately a dozen meals which they deliver before driving clients to their medical appointments. The volunteers embrace the variety of tasks. “Independent Aging” is about change and we are looking to implement new ideas to create an efficient and sustainable program and agency. Just last month we started a new program, “Meals Plus Program” that offers a bag of fresh vegetables and fruits once a week to many homebound Meals on Wheels clients. These individuals tend to be the community’s most vulnerable citizens and they can benefit from the nutritional boost from the local produce in their daily diet. In Krisha McCoy’s article, “Getting the Fruits and Vegetables you Need”, she states that the fiber from these foods may reduce the risk of certain cancers, high blood pressure and heart disease. The Meals Plus Program can potentially encourage healthy aging, considering that only about 30% of older adults who are 65 years and older are eating the recommended daily serving of vegetables and fruits (McCoy, 2014). The “Meals Plus Program” will provide nutritious choices through collaboration with the following community partners: Utah State University Extension, Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation Wheeler Historic Farm, Bell Organic and Genesis Youth Center and many more community participants. These partnerships are helping to create a good situation for all parties involved. Plus, this is another volunteer opportunity that we can offer our current and new volunteers who may like to assist in growing or harvesting produce to not only enhance our clients’ nutrition but also improve our County’s older adults’ lives, a concept that supports Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services mission statement: "Promoting independence of aging generations through advocacy, engagement and access to resources.”
NAVPLG2014 - summer 2014