40 Years of Service
With the Zelienople Meals on Wheels service celebrating its 40th birthday May 26, the program's scope is advancing along with its age.
In 1970, volunteer workers delivered to only five elderly clients. Today, close to 50 clients receive food each day.
Intended to serve senior citizens fresh meals at their homes, Meals on Wheels groups are active throughout the United States and in several countries.
Operations chairwoman Barbara Kaufman has overseen the volunteer group since its inception.
"I started when I was in my 20s," Kaufman said. "I started the program back in 1970 and stayed with it."
Her small initial volunteer group overcame difficult conditions before establishing a local base of operations.
"We started our program at the St. Paul Lutheran Church (in Zelienople). For the first six months we had to pick up meals in Rochester and drive them here," she said.
Now, the group operates a kitchen in Zelienople's English Lutheran Church, with drivers transporting meals to Harmony, Evans City and parts of Beaver County.
Delivery workers take two meals to each client every weekday.
While most users are senior citizens living alone, Kaufman said the volunteers have served needy people of all ages and disabilities.
"Our youngest client was a 21-year-old blind diabetic," she said. "Our oldest has probably been ... 101-plus years."
The group's steady client increase has been aided by a huge volunteer base. According to Kaufman, close to 125 volunteers work with Meals on Wheels regularly.
"We have all kinds of volunteers," she said.
Some volunteers, especially those who have participated from the start, are now older than many of their clients.
Mae Wagner, 90, said she feels blessed to be healthy enough to continue volunteering.
"I've been there from the start ... I've delivered to quite a few clients younger than me," Wagner said.
Wagner joined the program through the Camp Run United Presbyterian Church, whose members at the time were organizing a food delivery group of their own.
Her tasks in the program include applying labels to food containers.
Wagner said despite having to scale back the amount of work she does, she is likely to continue volunteering."I'll probably be doing this for a while," she said.Many of the program's clients also say they plan to remain involved.Helen Schott of Harmony said the deliveries from Meals on Wheels provide her with an important lifeline."I just depend on them a lot," she said.Schott said she came upon Meals on Wheels through her nurses."I had my 80th birthday three years ago, and I've had meals ever since that."Schott said she enjoys both the food and the volunteers' visits."They're wonderful — really nice people. I've gotten to know a lot of them," she said.Scott said although her grandchildren often help bring her food, she will continue to rely on Zelienople Meals on Wheels in the future."I really don't know what I'd do without it," she said."It's a wonderful service."
