By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
Mountain Meals on Wheels (MMOW) is a local nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization that delivers meals to persons who are unable to prepare or shop for their meals or have a medical need. The volunteers of Meals on Wheels deliver hot meals cooked in the kitchen of Mountains Community Hospital in Lake Arrowhead to their recipients five days a week.
These nutritionally balanced meals are designed by a dietitian for each recipient’s special dietary needs and medical requirements. However, once or twice a winter, because of possible snowstorms which would make it difficult to deliver hot meals, the volunteers send out emergency food supplies for each recipient. In case of inclement weather, when deliveries may be impossible to make, they have food available to make.
Prior to those weather situations, the volunteers make up emergency food boxes for each client. Last week, several of the Meals on Wheels volunteers – including Heidi Staples, Dan Staples, Lorena Olmedon and board members Laura De La Parra, Roxanna Bennen and Jack Cooperman – got together and sorted out and boxed extra emergency meals, composed of nonperishable items, mostly canned and dried items or boxed food items, non-refrigerated soy milk and other foods that, when combined, make healthy meals, in case of weather delivery delays. They spent four hours boxing up the foods and then spent the afternoon delivering the emergency boxes to the recipients.
The boxes that were delivered to the recipients contained canned beef stew, canned fruit, dried beans, rice and more. Meals on Wheels had purchased the food from Goodwin’s Market, which brought the food items up to Crestline for the volunteers to distribute. Meals on Wheels does not want any of their recipients left without access to a healthy meal.
Last winter, these emergency meals came in handy when the roadways became closed and then, after they were re-opened, the drivers brought additional food to the recipients from the food banks. Some drivers even dug out the recipients’ walkways and driveways to get the food to them.
The drivers had kept in constant contact with those on their routes by phone as many are elderly, handicapped or have health problems that severely prevented them from getting out during the snow emergency last winter.
The drivers are very dedicated to those on their routes and feel a real responsibility to them. They often have nice conversations and sometimes create real friendships with them, as they deliver their meals.
The drivers drive one of four routes once or twice a month. Meals on Wheels is always seeking more drivers and needs substitute drivers, too, for when the regular drivers have another commitment. If you are a person who likes to meet people, has a desire to help your neighbors, give back to the community and have a curiosity to learn more of the back roads of the mountain communities, you are the type of person Meals on Wheels is seeking as a volunteer. They invite you to become a part of a great nonprofit organization. Call them at (909) 435-8095, or send them an email at mmow@mountainmealsonwheels.org or volunteer@mountainmealsonwheels.org to explore the opportunities.
Mountain Meals on Wheels is an all-volunteer organization. They do not receive any federal or governmental grants or funding. They request those recipients who have the ability to do so to pay for a nominal fee for their meals. However, those unable to afford the cost may qualify for a subsidy. For those unable to pay, Meals on Wheels is seeking community members who desire to become one of their Meals on Wheels Angels. The cost is very low, yet does so much; $65 will cover the meal cost for one recipient for one month and $390 will cover the meal cost for one recipient for six months Those who desire to become a Meals on Wheels Angel can email them at Donate@MountainMealsOnWheels.org.
Mountain Meals on Wheels delivers meals to the mountain communities, stretching from Cedarpines Park/Valley of Enchantment on the west to Green Valley Lake to the east.
In 2023, Mountain Meals on Wheels was awarded GuideStar’s GOLD level of transparency. A GOLD level means Mountain Meals on Wheels maintains complete financial and organizational transparency within GuideStar and has established goals and strategies to maintain such a high quality 501(c) (3) organization. GuideStar is the nation’s premier database of nonprofit organizations. Only 0.5 percent of nonprofit organizations within the GuideStar community reach this GOLD level!
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