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Local programs say gas prices forced many volunteers to drop out. Recruiting has been difficult
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Nov 29, 2008
PERRY TWP.: Cletus Gerber has been a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties for 17 years.
Never missed a day, except for the few months of recovery he needed in 1996 after quadruple-bypass heart surgery. Never met a client he didn't like.
But Gerber knew this year it was time to draw a line: no more fill-in routes during the week.
''I had to take a break because I was getting a little tired doing the extra routes,'' Gerber said. ''I felt bad about it because I love the people I meet, but I think I might be slowing down a little bit. I think I might be getting old.''
Gerber is fast approaching his 88th birthday.
Unfortunately for agencies such as Meals on Wheels and Mobile Meals, which primarily serves Summit and Portage counties, volunteers such as Gerber are becoming a more precious resource than ever.
Older adults, especially those who are retired and have grown children, have available time.
They also have fixed incomes.
When gas prices rose above $4 a gallon this spring, both agencies saw a noticeable drop in volunteers.
''Before, we were treading water with the number of volunteers,'' said Teresa Barry, chief executive of Meals on Wheels. ''The gas crunch this spring and summer really put us under.''
Even die-hards such as Gerber notice the price at the pump.
''I certainly had some reservations when gas got over $4,'' he said. ''But these people
are like my second family, and even though it was costing me more to deliver, I couldn't leave them.''
Others, however, did leave.
Meals on Wheels lost 60 volunteers in the spring and summer. Mobile Meals lost 25.
Gas prices have now dropped to under $2 a gallon, but the agencies have not seen those volunteers come back.
''It hasn't changed a bit with the volunteers for us,'' Barry said. ''We have not had one of the volunteers who left come back.
''I think the problem is that people are looking at the lowering of gas prices as a temporary thing, not a permanent thing.''
Phil Marcin, director of community resources and communities for Mobile Meals, has seen none of his agency's departed volunteers have come back, either.
''I truly feel the ones we lost genuinely did not want to go,'' Marcin said. ''They were forced to quit by economic pressures.
''One guy was in tears about having to give it up, but he simply couldn't afford to continue.
''But what's disappointing is that even with the gas prices down, we haven't had anybody come back.''
What makes it tougher this time every year is the migratory patterns of retirees.
''We lose a lot of snowbirds every fall and we have to scramble to replace them,'' said Tom Delamater, Meals on Wheels public relations administrator.
Barry and Susan Wohlford, associate to the customer service director for Mobile Meals, also are finding it more difficult to recruit volunteers.
''It's a tough road,'' Barry said. ''I think it's about 10 times harder to recruit than it was in the past.
''They [volunteers] think it's much harder and more time-consuming than it actually is.
''Most of our routes average 21/2 miles in Stark County. It's just for an hour and a half, and once a week — or even once a month — is all we're asking.
''But society is more complacent today. It's becoming more and more 'all about me.' ''
Meals on Wheels still has 70 open routes during the five days it operates each week.
''The younger people of today do not have the same sense of volunteerism that existed in the past,'' Wohlford said. ''Everybody today is caught up in the fast-paced lifestyle, and there is so much for kids to do today.''
Marcin, a former priest in the Catholic church and later a probation officer, pointed to the demand for both adults in the family to work as another factor in reduced opportunity for volunteering.
''People also are working second jobs and working longer hours,'' he said.
Both agencies deliver from 10:30 a.m. to noon each business day, which eliminates a large segment of the working population from the volunteer pool.
But not all of it.
''We can use teachers to deliver in the summer and on snow days if they have a four-wheel-drive vehicle,'' Barry said.
''We've tried to become real inventive in ways to get people . . . but it's still much harder for the agency to recruit new volunteers.''
To that end, Meals on Wheels and Mobile Meals are promoting an Adopt a Route campaign. A company signs up and different employees take a turn making the deliveries throughout the month.
They also have embarked on a letter-writing campaign to churches and family members of current clients.
Financial hit
The agencies already were taking a big financial hit in the skyrocketing cost of food.
A meal that cost Meals on Wheels $6 in 2007 costs $8 today.
''From the close of fiscal year 2007 to the end of the first quarter of 2008, our cost of doing business jumped 33.7 percent,'' Barry said.
Loss of volunteers was another key factor in the rising cost of doing business.
''When we don't have a volunteer to deliver a route, we have to replace that person with one of our 21 staff members,'' Barry said. ''And that includes me, about four times a month.
''When staff members are out delivering meals, they aren't doing their job back at the office. That's where greater costs are incurred. We also have to pay staff members about 21/2 times more in mileage than we do volunteers.''
Whatever the cost, Meals on Wheels and Mobile Meals are committed to continuing their service.
''Our mission is crucial,'' Barry said. ''It's more than just delivering a meal. It's a daily check on at-risk people who are able to live as a part of community with a little help.
''There is a follow-up on every one of our clients. I've even shimmied through windows on a delivery to make sure the person was all right.
''That goes a long way to make life a lot more comfortable for those people, and a lot less expensive for society in general, when you consider the alternative for a lot of those wonderful people is putting them in long-term-care facilities.
''But we need more help.''
Dedicated volunteer
Gerber, the oldest driver in the 35-year history of the local Meals on Wheels, still drives the longest of the agency's 65 routes. The retired farmer travels 70 miles each Wednesday as he meanders through East Greenville, Marshallville, Mount Eaton, Apple Creek and Kidron, delivering meals to shut-ins and poor families.
''I love doing it and I'll keep doing it as long as I'm healthy,'' Gerber said. ''I love seeing the smiling faces I get to see every Wednesday.''
And that starts with the staff members of Meals on Wheels.
''You can set your clock by Cletus' arrival — you know it's Wednesday,'' said Mary Marshall, volunteer coordinator for Meals on Wheels. ''He never calls off, even in bad weather.
''And the clients love him. They really look forward to Wednesdays because they know that's Cletus' day.
''Although he takes longer to do the route than other volunteers, we certainly don't mind, because we know he's spending so much time with the people.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
PERRY TWP.: Cletus Gerber has been a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels of Stark & Wayne Counties for 17 years.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 09:53 AM, 11/29/2008
This progam is a total waste of money. This money could be better spent for the poor elderly for more food stamps and for hiring someone to do their grocery shopping if they can't get out to a store(an elderly person that is not totally independent and lives alone most likely will have some kind of help anyways). Also, I think it really stinks that these delivery people have to pay for their own gas and get nothing in return while the other personnel are getting paid.
Posted 10:16 AM, 11/29/2008
isn'tthere some way to get these guys fueel payed for.they are already giving there time and aotomobile !!!!thats a big thing there (@@)
Posted 10:23 PM, 11/29/2008
This is not a waste of money. It is a Godsend for the elderly who can putter around in their home, but are no longer competent to drive. I believe the recipients pay for the meals, but perhaps that is just for those who can afford it. I know my mom got meals-on-wheels when she was alive, and she would ask me to get the money ready for the deliveryman when he would come later in the day.
Maybe I'll call and volunteer.
Posted 10:24 AM, 11/30/2008
What would be a godsend if the elderlys' relatives would make sure they have food in their freakin house and if they have no relatives, a kind neighbor will do.
Posted 03:58 PM, 11/30/2008
Thanks for the article. I'm very proud of my dad's commitment to the community. I hope I can be half the man he is.
RGGerber, M.D.
Posted 02:27 PM, 12/01/2008
I just delivered Meals on Wheels in Columbus this weekend. Some recipients can't or won't cook nutritious meals for themselves and meal delivery helps them continue to live at home, which is much cheaper for the government than if they moved to a nursing home. Some of them also live with family members who work during the day and Meals on Wheels gives them a hot meal during the day. I'm curious: how many of the people who are criticizing Meals on Wheels do anything to help neighbors or family members in need?
