SARASOTA COUNTY (WSNN) – Meals on Wheels of Sarasota is working overtime filling tummies with food and spreading holiday cheer.
“You have no idea how many people in Sarasota, one of the wealthiest places around, need Meals on Wheels,” volunteer Pat Porter said.
The non-profit has gone from serving 400 meals a day to nearly 800 says Executive Director, Marjorie Broughton.
“It has just been a revolutionary year,” Broughton said. “We’re now distributing over 22,000 meals per month. We would have been doing possibly 4,000 before COVID.”
But even in the midst of this pandemic, Broughton says they still want to help spread holiday cheer.
“So many of these folks are completely isolated and have no one else,” Broughton said. “We saw a huge need with the families that have children and grandparents who are not going to have Christmas.”
Meals on Wheels is delivering more than 600 holiday bags filled with the essentials: shampoo, conditioner, soap, first aid, socks and more.
“When you don’t have a lot, the things you take for granted every day become more important,” Broughton said. “The basics become the things that you really want.”
Delivering so many more meals and gifts is a huge undertaking that requires a lot of help.
“As COVID has continued, we have seen a reluctance of many volunteers to be involved, even though we are extremely safe and take our protocols very seriously,” Broughton said.
The building is restricted and they require masks and temperature checks for all staff and volunteers. Even so, they’ve gone from about 700 volunteers to now less than 300.
“It is just one day a week, but it’s mostly two and three times a week because you see the need and you feel like you want to do that,” volunteer Sandi Kelly said.
Many are working overtime.
“I’m very glad to do what I can, and we do need more people,” Porter said. “One day I came here there were probably six volunteers who were here regularly.”
So, they need help. But despite the strain, they have not said ‘no’ to anyone.
“We still do not have a waitlist, and we have not turned anyone away for a lack of ability to donate some amount toward their meal,” Broughton said.
???????You can help Meals on Wheels by donating or volunteering. And if you need help, you can register to receive a meal online, here.
