Volunteer drivers are needed for Meals that Connect, a free meal service that delivers food to local seniors in Morro Bay as well as other towns.
“I have this habit of whistling, so they always know I’m coming up the steps,” said volunteer driver Jim Martinez.
Martinez delivers meals daily to around 10 to 12 seniors.
“They like to talk and we like to visit with them and see how they are doing, check up on them,” Martinez said.
He says it only takes an hour out of his day.
“It’s a great service to provide for the people in the area. There is a definite need,” Martinez said.
Michael Logan is on the receiving end of those deliveries and has been for the last two years.
“I don’t get a check from SSI. I get nothing so all I have to depend on is the SNAP card and meals from Meals that Connect,” Logan said.
The nonprofit provides meals to around 60 Morro Bay seniors. Some people pick them up at the community center while others need them delivered.
“A lot of the people down there that show up, that’s their only interaction with anyone that day,” Logan said.
“We’re serving 50,000 more meals this year than we did last year,” said Tammy Paster, Meals that Connect development director.
With nine locations throughout San Luis Obispo County, Paster says their San Luis Obispo location also needs volunteer drivers.
“80 percent of our service is home delivery. Twenty percent is at our sites,” Paster said.
“It’s different food every day, so you get a variety,” said Ruth Ann Angus, Meals that Connect recipient.
Angus was thankful for the deliveries during a recent illness.
“At least through that period of time that I was really sick, I was getting one sufficient meal a day,” she said.
“Everybody is friendly, everybody is happy,” said Waltz Sandt, Meals that Connect recipient.
If you would like to donate or volunteer for Meals that Connect, click here.
