‘Help however we can’: Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver Thanksgiving meals and fellowship [photos]

Hours before most Lancaster county residents woke up to a wet and dreary Thanksgiving morning, the kitchens at Meals on Wheels of Lancaster were already in full swing.

Traditional Thanksgiving dinners with turkey in gravy, stuffing and green beans were being individually portioned and sealed by volunteers who were making sure others were fed before themselves.

By the end of the morning, over 450 people across Lancaster county would receive their Thanksgiving dinners and more from the Meals on Wheels kitchen.

Nationally, Meals on Wheels helps over 2.2 million people who are limited by mobility, age and financial restraints get affordable and nutritious meals delivered to their doorstep. The organization traces its origins to England during World War II, when Red Cross workers began delivering food to the elderly who had been bombed out of their homes.

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Meals on Wheels volunteers delver Thanksgiving meals to people in need [photos]

In Lancaster, volunteers drove over 147,000 miles to deliver 242,000 meals in 2023, according to Meals on Wheels. While the final numbers aren’t complete for 2024, they’ve already exceeded last year's numbers, according to the organization’s volunteer director, Doug Hopwood.

For many of the volunteers at Meals on Wheels, Thanksgiving isn’t strikingly dissimilar from any other Thursday.

“Other than some new people working in the kitchen, it’s not all that different,” said Jay Hollinger, a kitchen manager whose day began at 5 a.m. Hollinger explained that, due to the holiday, many of the regular kitchen volunteers were unavailable, so several people who normally deliver the meals offered to help prepare them as well.

Bob and Lena Sloyer started making deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to help their neighbors in Paradise Township. Every other Thursday they have dropped off meals throughout eastern Lancaster County.

For the holiday, the couple decided to help in the kitchen for the first time.

“We just wanted to help out however we can,” Lena Sloyer said as she bagged slices of bread to be added to the food packages.

For the Sloyers, making deliveries not only helps provide food for those limited by mobility, it provides an opportunity to check in on people who might not have regular contact with others.

“For some of the people we deliver to, we might be the only people they see and talk to that day,” Bob Sloyer said.

Lindsey Witmer, general manager for Lancaster Meals on Wheels, said providing wellness checks is another important service the volunteers provide.

“I find that for family members it's equally important that someone is checking in on their loved ones and making sure they’re all right,” Witmer said. If a driver can’t make contact with one of their clients, Meals on Wheels will work with their family, case managers and the police to make sure the individual is OK.

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Delivering Thanksgiving

By 10:30 a.m. the cars of 35 volunteer delivery drivers were loaded with food and began making deliveries throughout the county.

Jeff Kindrew, of East Lampeter Township, has been making deliveries for years and said he enjoys forming connections with the people along his route in Lancaster city.

“That is the fun part, getting to know people,” Kindrew said.

Kindrew retired after working as a nurse at Lancaster General Hospital and serving as a volleyball coach at McCaskey High School for 24 years. Helping others, he said, whether in the medical field, teaching or coaching, has always been a part of his life.

“It keeps you young,” Kindrew said as he drove to his first delivery. “I wanted something to do after retiring, something that contributes to people’s lives.”

Kindrew hasn’t met some of the people on his route; he simply leaves the food outside their doors, as is their preference. But others he considers friends, even going to take pizzas to them on his own time.

One Lancaster resident, Ken Smith, uses a wheelchair and has been receiving Meals on Wheels deliveries for two years.

“It’s been helpful for me,” Smith said, saying his ability to go to the grocery store is sometimes limited. “It’s a service I hope people value and contribute to.”

While Meals on Wheels has been steadily growing, keeping a consistent group of volunteers was difficult during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. But throughout it all, the organization never shut down.

“We are always looking for new volunteers,” Hopwood said. “We have a small staff — only eight people — volunteers keep us moving.”

Rising costs also have made the organization’s operation more expensive.

“Food costs have gone up by a third,” Hopwood said. “Inflation has made things difficult.”

Despite the challenges, Hopwood said, Meals on Wheels will continue to make sure people throughout the county are fed. Earlier this month, the organization raised $91,000 during ExtraGive, just under their $100,000 goal.

“Support right now is more important than ever,” Hopwood said.