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Dear Friends:
You’re busy, I know. Your time is at a premium, and you’ve got to constantly adjust your priorities.
As a mom, a wife and a career woman, believe me – I get it! I am constantly checking my priorities and being honest about my time constraints.
I’m not alone. So many of you are also juggling family obligations and projects at work and making sure that dinner is on the table and the kids (or aging parents) get where they need to go and, and, and…
One of the things I’ve learned is that to stay sane, I have to always have something in my life that is BIGGER than myself and my day-to-day routine. It puts all the other wonderful but (let’s face it) mundane stuff into perspective.
That’s why I want to talk to you about
VOLUNTEERING for MOWDR.
Before you say “How on earth will I find time to add yet another commitment to my crazy life?!” let me explain...
Volunteering, even if it’s once a month, reinvigorates the soul! Giving of your time brings a renewed sense of balance. The impact you make in the life of a homebound senior can be so gratifying that it can almost seem “selfish”—it’s just that good!
The time we give to others becomes some of the most impactful “me-time” there is.
We here at MOWDR have some soul-invigorating, balance renewing, gratifying volunteer opportunities and we can’t wait to have you be part of our team. From delivering a meal to visiting a home bound senior, from weekly commitments to monthly to occasional… we have options!
Whether you’re ready to volunteer or not, MOWDR is here to nourish your soul! In this month’s newsletter you’ll read about:
- How to team up with your co-workers and use your lunch hour to make a difference to isolated seniors
- Becoming a relief driver if you don’t have enough time to drive a regular route
- How MOWDR keeps seniors safe by providing home safety assessments and home modifications--and how you can help
- A legacy donor who made it his life mission to make sure that others were cared for
- A new MOWDR board member who gives back everywhere he goes
Keep on doing all the great things you are doing! And join us if you can, in whatever way you can. You won’t regret it!
Warm regards,
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Carrie Blanding
Interim Executive Director
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MAKING SENIORS' HOMES SAFER,
ONE GRAB BAR AT A TIME
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Since 2008, MOWDR's
Fall Prevention Program has provided home safety assessments and home modifications for seniors. Part of the evaluation process includes the
Fall Prevention Checklist and Resource Guide
,
a valuable tool to help seniors and their caregivers determine possible safety risks in the home. It also provides tips to help prevent falls and potential injury.
If an eligible senior needs further assistance, an occupational therapist can do an in-person evaluation of the home and make safety recommendations. The Fall Prevention team then works with a licensed contractor to install safety devices such as grab bars, hand-held shower heads, shower seats, and bed rails at no cost to the client.
MOWDR has experienced tremendous growth in our Home Modifications program over the past year. The number of referrals both from community partners and self referrals has been increasing steadily. The need to decrease the wait time and make homes safer for seniors is becoming more urgent and we need your help!
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Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths for seniors.
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For a small entry fee you will enjoy a hearty breakfast that includes a delicious stack of pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage and bottomless orange juice and coffee.
There will also be raffle prizes, a pancake flipping contest for the kiddies, information about fall prevention and in-person, health-related checks. Fun for the whole family!
Tickets are $5 for ages 11 and up, $3 for children 5-10 and under 5 are free. We look forward to seeing you!
MEALS ON WHEELS PANCAKE FUNDRAISER AND HEALTH FAIR
Sponsored by Morgan Stanley - The Andreason Group at Morgan Stanley
Sunday, October 6
8:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Pleasant Hill Senior Center
233 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill
Click here to purchase tickets on line:
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Breakfast and raffle tickets are also available at the door the day of the event.
If you can’t make it to the pancake breakfast please consider donating to our Fall Prevention Program here:
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MOWDR WELCOMES NEW
BOARD MEMBER TIM ARGENTI
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The mission of Meals on Wheels Diablo Region is to empower Contra Costa County’s most vulnerable adults by providing whole-person, coordinated care to enable them to live independently and with dignity for as long as possible. We are excited to welcome our newest board member Tim Argenti, who brings a demonstrated commitment to giving back and community involvement.
Tim is a dedicated local business man with over 40 years of experience in the solid waste and recycling industry. He began his working career “on the back of a garbage truck with a can over his shoulder” and worked his way up to running a $100 million operation. He served as General Manager of Republic Services of Contra Costa County for 18 years where he was responsible for the oversight of all division activities, and currently serves as the Community Relations Manager for Republic Services in Contra Costa County.
He was named Business Person of the Year by the Central Labor Council and has received many commendations from Congressional Representatives, State Assembly and State Senate Representatives and the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors. Tim has served as President of the Antioch Rotary Club and has served on several boards including the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce where he presently serves as Chairman of the Board.
Tim is ready to provide new insight and expertise to further our collective work in supporting seniors. “I appreciate the opportunity to join the board of Meals on Wheels Diablo Region. This is an outstanding organization that is making a huge difference in the lives of seniors.”
Welcome Tim! We look forward to working alongside you.
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HABIT OF GIVING: HONORING THOMAS S.
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Thomas S. was a man of many talents. A compassionate man, he was committed to alleviating pain as an anesthesiologist. He took his practice to the Middle East during the first Gulf War where he saw a great need. It was there that he honed another passion—cooking Indian food. When you walked by his kitchen you were treated to the aromas of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, coriander, saffron, garam masala and curry.
Thomas loved bringing people together. He delighted in making sure guests left his table satisfied and enlightened. Thomas' friend Gail recalls, “He was a wonderful host. There was always good food and great conversations, and there were people from all walks of life. We would gather in his backyard. He had worked hard to make that space an oasis, he planted an organic garden where bird feeders dotted the landscape.”
After retirement, Thomas became a Volunteer for Meals on Wheels Diablo Region. He delivered meals to seniors and always had a listening ear and smile on his face. Doris, a MOWDR client recently remembered Thomas fondly, “I love to read and on the days that Thomas would bring meals to me, he would always ask what I was reading. He must have been a voracious reader himself because he usually knew about the book I was reading or had read it himself and he’d take the time to talk about it.”
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Upon receiving the sad news that Thomas had passed away MOWDR was honored to learn that his commitment to the care of seniors would continue through a generous legacy donation from his estate.
In an often-tumultuous world with ever-shifting priorities Thomas’ generous spirit continues to shine on vital causes. Beyond his commitment to caring for seniors he also donated to Habitat for Humanity,
St. Aquinas College to provide scholarships to low-income students and several other organizations. In a final gesture of care and concern for others Thomas gave everything to charity.
Thomas recognized the impact that Meals on Wheels Diablo Region’s programs make on the lives of seniors. His legacy gift will go a long way toward helping us continue our mission. If you would like to learn more about leaving a legacy gift for seniors and MOWDR in your will, contact Erica Marcus at
emarcus@mowdr.org.
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THE BEST SPENT LUNCH BREAK IS ONE THAT FEEDS THE NEEDS OF HOMEBOUND SENIORS
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Meals on Wheels Diablo Region has the privilege of partnering with dozens of community focused businesses and groups that take on the challenge of senior hunger and isolation by
adopting a route.
Our Adopt-A-Route program was developed to expand our volunteer base by tailoring the volunteer commitment to fit the availability of volunteers in the workplace. When a company signs up for Adopt-A-Route, a group of co-workers band together to assume responsibility for a single meal delivery route on a weekly basis.
Adopt-A-Route volunteers take turns delivering meals each week during their lunch hour. A team consists of 8-10 members and shifts are scheduled by a designated coordinator. Each volunteer gives up just one lunch hour per month, or every eight weeks if they are driving solo.
NuStar Energy is one company that has taken up the challenge to support seniors. NuStar employees gave a record 95,000 volunteer hours last year to hundreds of charitable and civic causes in all the
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communities where the company has operations. Those hours were used to mentor, deliver for Meals on Wheels, participate in community cleanup events and more.
NuStar CEO, Brad Barron is proud of the community involvement that is a big part of the organization's culture. “It truly is a blessing to see the difference we’re making in others’ lives […] sharing a story with a home bound senior citizen, or simply receiving a smile and a thank-you for a plate of BBQ. All of our employees make those moments of pure joy possible!”
Don’t think you have time to commit to a weekly route because you have a full-time job? Consider forming an Adopt-A-Route team with your co-workers. Knowing that you've made a huge impact in the life of an isolated elderly person is much more satisfying than eating a PB&J at your desk any day of the week!
Learn more about the program
here or contact
Volunteer Development Associate, Lee Davenport at 925.954.8736 or
ldavenport@mowdr.org.
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BEAT THE "I'M TOO BUSY" MENTALITY:
CONSIDER BECOMING A
RELIEF MEAL DELIVERY VOLUNTEER!
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MOWDR continues to experience a shortage of regular and relief meal delivery volunteers for the East Contra Costa County routes. As we continue to recruit regular drivers we want to stress that relief drivers are also vital to our meal delivery operations across the county.
During the holiday season volunteer drivers are often unable to fulfill routes due to family obligations and vacations so it's very important that we maintain a sufficient number of relief drivers. We contact our relief drivers to deliver meals when there's a need and adhere to their preferred window of availability. In other words, you let us know when you're available and we won't call you when you're not. On average, relief drivers are called as often as they want to be, making it a pretty easy commitment to keep.
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a regular or relief meal delivery volunteer for MOWDR you can learn more
here
. If you prefer speaking to a super friendly person please contact Volunteer Development Associate, Lee Davenport at 925.954.8736 or
ldavenport@mowdr.org
.
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Welcome to the Meals on Wheels Diablo Region family of volunteers!
Click here
to see the list of our newest volunteers.
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A special thank you to the generous donors who have given in tribute or in memory of their loved ones.
Click here
to see the list.
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Discover alternative ways to stay active, healthy, and happy by reading our
"Artful Aging"
blog. Be sure to also check out the
September schedule
for our Health & Wellness activities.
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© Meals on Wheels Diablo Region 2019. All rights reserved.
Meals on Wheels Diablo Region
1300 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek, CA, 94596
United States
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