Volunteer FAQs

When do you need volunteers?

Our kitchen volunteers help from 9:15 AM to around 10:30 AM.  Our driver volunteers pick up meals between 10 AM and 10:30 and are finished in 1-2 hours.

Do I have to be available every day?

No. Based on the openings on the schedule, we can schedule you once a month, twice a month, once a week, or once in a while.

What is the minimum age requirement for volunteers?

Due to safety restrictions volunteers must be 18 years or older.

Will I be able to cook the food?

Volunteers portion meals and load delivering bags, but our volunteers do not cook.

Does Meals on Wheels provide vehicles for Meals on Wheels drivers?

Volunteers use their personal vehicles to deliver meals to our Meals on Wheels clients.

Please check with a tax professional to see if you can itemize mileage for taxes.

How long does it take to deliver a route?

Each time you deliver takes a little over 1 -2 hours to deliver a route. We try to keep routes to an hour but some of our rural routes take longer.

Can I volunteer with a friend or family member?

If you wish to volunteer with a particular person you will both need to submit an application and be scheduled for the same shift.

Do I see the same recipients each time?

Our volunteers start as substitutes when we have openings on the schedule. You will have an opportunity to drive different routes. When there are openings for a regular spot, we will let everyone know.

Are there evening or weekend volunteer opportunities?

Client Services volunteers deliver birthday bags at the convenience of the volunteers and clients. We also have a pantry bag program that driver volunteers can deliver on weekends.

Can I volunteer to complete community service hours?

Due to training and limited daily hours, delivering meals is not a good match for community service hours.

How do I volunteer?

Contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 434-589-1685, or go online to volunteer and submit an application to begin the process.

Volunteer Testimonials

I truly enjoy my weekly work with Meals on Wheels. As a kitchen volunteer I love putting together the meals for delivery. We are a team, and we enjoy working together. As a driver I get a great deal of joy and fulfillment from delivering healthy meals to my clients. I love sharing a few words with each of them, and consider them my friends. I get much more from my clients than they get from me! By donating a bit of my time each week I’m able to give something back to the community, which is important to me.

I win because I get to meet great clients, learn about their interesting life stories and also get to drive around 40 or 50 miles of beautiful Fluvanna countryside!!!  Hope to keep doing it for a long time to come!

I was amazed at the number of people who are involved in the MOW service from administration, kitchen and drivers. There was a need for a program like this in Fluvanna and a group of caring people got together and put into motion a plan for providing a hot meal to those in need. I feel blessed that I can be a part of volunteering whether driving or working in the kitchen. My greeting when knocking on a door, Morning Meals on Wheels, makes my day when I receive a smile back and a Thank You.