Dave Long is a cherished volunteer of Meals on Wheels and has been with the organization for the past 10 years. Dave has lived in New Rochelle for 22 years with his wife and his three boys and is the Program Director of the School of Criminal Justice at Monroe College. Dave’s first experience with Meals on Wheels was when he was a kid and he would go on rides with his Uncle, who was a full-time volunteer. Dave eventually returned to the organization when his son needed to do community service for his bar mitzvah. The two enjoyed it so much that they continued to do it even after the community service hours were filled and were able to make personal connections with their clients. Then when Dave’s son had to head off to college, Dave continued to volunteer and has made it apart of his weekly routine ever since. A quote from Dave that gave an overview of his relationship with Meals On Wheels was, “On a personal level, no matter how my week went I can look forward to this hour or two and realize I did something good that week.”
Volunteer Spotlight: Pat Houlihan
Meet Pat Houlihan, who is in our volunteer spotlight this week. Pat has been volunteering for over a year now and says she loves doing it. .
Pat volunteers because she said she wants to do more for her community. She went out and looked for places where she can volunteer and help out the people in the community. That is when she landed on meals on wheels where she happily delivers meals.. There was a point in time in Pat’s life that she used to go to Mass every day. She said that it helped start her day better and with a clearer mind. She has 5 children one who she is a babysitter for sometimes during the weekends. Pat also has 2 grandchildren who play soccer! A fun fact about Pat is that she lives around the area of Iona college and she actually lives with 2 current Iona Graduate students. She says she is used to living with noise because of them.
Volunteer Spotlight: Jane
Meet Jane who has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels for a long time! She has two daughters, one son, and three grandchildren! Jane loves to volunteer because of the joy and excitement from interacting with the clients. She mentions that “It’s way better to have a sense of relationship, otherwise it makes you feel like you’re just dropping the food off”. During the rounds, she makes sure the rapport with each individual is felt. The relationships that she builds with the clients are based on the delight of seeing each other! Outside of volunteering, Jane takes care of her family as well as enjoying golf and tennis.
Share the Love with Vulnerable Seniors This Year
EXCITING NEWS!
For the 12th year running, the Meals on Wheels network is participating in the 2019 Subaru Share the Love Event. Over the past eleven years, Subaru and its retailers have helped Meals on Wheels to deliver more than 2.2 million meals nationwide to seniors in need. Why does Subaru support Meals on Wheels? Too many seniors are struggling to stay independent and healthy. One in four seniors lives alone in isolation and one in seven seniors might not know from where their next meal is coming. This is simply unacceptable, which is why Meals-on-Wheels of New Rochelle provides the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks to the seniors of New Rochelle. This vital support keeps seniors in their own homes, where they want to be. We’re incredibly grateful to Subaru and its Retailers for supporting our organization and the seniors we serve. With that in mind, we thought you might want to learn a little bit more about the Subaru Share the Love Event.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
This November 14, 2019, through January 2, 2020, for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased, Subaru will donate $250 to the customer’s choice of participating charities.* Meals on Wheels is one of four national participating charities and has been since the inception of the event. Through this event, as a member of Meals on Wheels America, Meals-on-Wheels of New Rochelle will receive a share of the donation from Subaru vehicles sold at participating Subaru Retailers. You might not be in the market to purchase a new car, but if you are, please look into the Subaru Share the Love Event to learn more. If you’re not shopping for a new vehicle, you can still help by spreading the word to your family and friends.
A few quick and easy ways to do that: - Share this blog. - Share our posts about the Share the Love Event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mownr/. You can also do this on Instagram@mealsonwheelsnr. And remember: this holiday season you can ensure our senior neighbors are not forgotten, when you purchase or lease a new Subaru and select Meals on Wheels as your charity of choice.
*Disclaimer: Subaru will donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased from November 14, 2019, through January 2, 2020, to four national charities designated by the purchaser or lessee. Pre-approved Hometown Charities may be selected for donation depending on retailer participation. For every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased during the campaign period, participating retailers will donate a minimum of $50 in total to their registered Hometown Charities. Purchasers/lessees must make their charity designations by January 15, 2020. The four national charities will receive a guaranteed minimum donation of $250,000 each. See your local Subaru retailer for details or visit subaru.com/share. All donations made by Subaru of America, Inc.
