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Volunteer Guide for Home-Delivered Meals
Volunteer Guide for Home-Delivered Meals
Updated January 2025
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Pick-up Instructions
Meals and beverages will be packed in coolers.
Staff will stage coolers in alphabetical order along with additional items such as Birthday Bags, SMB (Senior Meal Bags), Special Delivery Breakfast Bags, Fruit, Ani-Meals, etc.
Please wait for the signal that the staff is ready for you to retrieve your items.
If coolers are staged and route sheets have been distributed, please feel free to approach the staging area.
Route Information:
With each pick-up, you'll receive a route sheet detailing the names, addresses, and additional notes about the clients under
Driver’s Instructions to help you successfully deliver.
Please verify meal and beverage counts before you leave the pick-up site.
It's essential to use coolers to keep meals at the correct temperatures during transit. Please feel free to use either Meals on Wheels provided coolers or your own, ensuring your coolers are sanitized after each use. In preparation for the next day's business, staff will sanitize coolers upon return to our office.
Pick-Up Time
Please do not arrive any earlier than 10 minutes before the designated pick-up time.
This rule is for the safety of both volunteers and staff. Please consider requesting a sub if you have an appointment that creates a tight timeline.
10:30 am pick up for Conroe and The Woodlands
11:00 am Magnolia, Montgomery, New Caney & Willis
Pick-up Locations:
Conroe – 111 So. 2nd Street, Conroe, TX 77301
Magnolia – 31355 Friendship Drive, Magnolia, TX 77355
Montgomery – 2500 Lonestar Parkway, Montgomery, TX 77356
New Caney – 21679 McClesky Road, New Caney, TX 77357
The Woodlands – 1400 Woodloch Forest Dr., The Woodlands, TX 77380
Willis – 600 Gerald Street, Willis, TX 77378
Empty Cooler Return
Conroe – Location closes at 3:00 p.m.
Magnolia – Hold and return coolers the next time you volunteer or return coolers by 1:00 pm inside the Friendship Center to be picked up by Meals on Wheels staff on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Check-in with center staff for directions on where to store coolers. Do not leave any undelivered meals in the coolers.
Montgomery – Hold and return the next time you volunteer or return to the Conroe office by 3:00 pm Monday-Friday.
New Caney – Return coolers to the storage room in the back of the Friendship Center. A freezer is on-site to store undelivered meals.
The Woodlands – Return coolers by 1:00 pm. If you miss the cutoff, return on a different day, Monday-Friday, 10:30 am -1:00 pm.
Willis – Hold and return the next time you volunteer or return to the Conroe office by 3:00 pm Monday-Friday.
Delivery Process
Execution: Deliver the assigned items per the route sheet in the suggested order.
Successful Deliveries: Volunteers initial/sign on the route sheet for meal deliveries.
Unanswered Deliveries: If there's no answer at the door, contact the client or caregiver using the phone number on the route sheet. Use *67 for privacy before dialing the number. Please leave a short message: “This is Meals on Wheels attempting to deliver your meal. Sorry, we missed you.” Indicate on the route sheet that the client was not at home.
Door Hangers: If a client is not home, we have distributed “Sorry we missed you” door hangers to volunteers to leave with the date and time you were attempting delivery. If you, as a volunteer, need to restock or obtain door hangers, please get in touch with Volunteer Relations or ask your Meals on Wheels Staff Driver at the pick-up site.
Extra Hot Meal(s): If you have an extra meal and drink, please offer the items to the next client. If you are at the end of your route, consume it yourself, give it away, or discard the items. We cannot take back hot meals once they leave our property.
Extra Frozen Meal(s): Please properly store extra frozen meals until you can safely return them to our office or a staff member at a pick-up site.
Safety Concerns: Please do not put yourself in harm's way. If you encounter an unsafe situation, report your concerns using the number at the top of the route sheet. Please don't try to deliver if you feel there is a potential safety issue. Once reported, we will contact the client to make other arrangements for meal delivery. Please move on to the next client.
Observations: Report significant changes in a senior's condition or environment. Note concerns on the route sheet or report the issue to Darlene: 936-271-2181 or darlene@mowmc.org
Client Concerns and Emergencies
Reporting Client Concerns: For urgent concerns (not medical emergencies), call the number at the top of the route sheet to convey the information. Please leave a detailed voicemail and state that you want a call back if that is the case. Otherwise, staff will take the next step to contact the client’s emergency contact or request a welfare check. Non-urgent concerns can be noted on the route sheet for staff review.
Emergency Situations: Call 911 and stay with the client until help arrives. Once emergency personnel are on site, report the incident to our office using the number at the top of the route sheet. Please leave details and the client's name so that staff can take the next step to alert the client’s emergency contacts. If you want a call back from staff, request a call in your voicemail with your name and number.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I engage as a Meal Delivery Volunteer? Every Friday, Volunteer Relations sends an email, “Meals on Wheels Volunteer Update.” Within that email, under the “Ways to Engage” header, different links will be listed based on our needs for the upcoming week and month. The Friday email is a great way to stay informed about our organization, volunteer opportunities, and announcements.
I want to explore taking a permanent meal delivery route. How do I find out more information? Contact: Lisa, Volunteer Relations Manager, lisa@mowmc.org or 936-756-5824.
What do I do if I am unavailable for delivery? Notify Volunteer Relations with as much advance notice as possible. Sub Requests: Volunteers@mowmc.org last minute requests 936-756-5849.
What do I do if I cannot find the client’s residence? First, look at the “Driver’s Instructions” on the route sheet. We spend time on the details to help you, as a volunteer, have a successful delivery experience. Feel free to contact our office using the number at the top of the route sheet or contact Volunteer Relations.
How do I request Volunteer Swag? If you need a car window flag, lanyard, or a volunteer t-shirt, please email volunteers@mowmc.org.
Additional Resources
Confidentiality Training: Annually, volunteers and staff must review the HGAC's Safeguarding Confidential Information course to comply with grant requirements.
Volunteer Orientation: A link for a comprehensive orientation video is provided for new and returning volunteers.
Addressing Elder Abuse
Awareness: Volunteers must report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation, adhering to Texas law.
Reporting: Direct reporting to Adult Protective Services is preferred, either online or via phone. Your report is kept confidential by Adult Protective Services.
Volunteer Friday Email
The “Meals on Wheels Volunteer Update” email is usually sent out between 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm.
The email contains links to engage with us, which include meal delivery, Saturday breakfast bag delivery, in-house opportunities such as Meals on Wheels Kitchen, Office Work Days, seasonal volunteer opportunities, organization updates, and volunteer reminders.
Volunteer Relations Team Contact Information:
General Inquiries & Sub Requests:
volunteers@mowmc.org
Lisa Varholy-Volunteer Relations Manager:
936-756-5824, lisa@mowmc.org
Kristina Ryan-Volunteer Coordinator:
936-756-5849, kristina@mowmc.org
Heather Tanner-Volunteer Coordinator:
936-756-5854, heather@mowmc.org
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