VOLUNTEER GUIDE 2021 (Adapted to COVID19 Protocols) - Meals on Wheels Mercer County

VOLUNTEER GUIDE
     2021
   (Adapted to COVID19 Protocols)

Welcome!

Dear Volunteer,
Welcome to Meals on Wheels of Mercer County (MOWMC). Volunteers are the “wheels” that keep our
program running (or driving)!

As a volunteer, you are vital to the success of our program. Volunteers deliver the vast majority of roughly
90,000 meals to more than 600 participants per year. With almost two-thirds of our participants living
alone, your friendly visit not only provides a hot meal, but important socialization as well.

Participants look forward to seeing the caring individuals who give their time and energy each day to
ensure they receive a hot, nutritious meal. Your daily visit has helped save lives, and it is why we like to
say “we are so much more than a meal!”

Our volunteer training is designed to give you the tools and support to help alleviate senior hunger and
isolation in Mercer County. Thank you for dedicating your time and talents to assist homebound
individuals in Mercer County maintain their health and remain safely in their homes!

I wish you much success and enjoyment in your volunteer work and look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Sasa Olessi Montaño
Chief Executive Officer

Overview
Mission
Meals on Wheels of Mercer County (MOWMC) is a comprehensive nutrition program committed
to providing nutritious meals and related services, while easing the social isolation of our
homebound participants. The goal of our services is to assist participants, who wish to remain in
their homes, maintain independence, dignity, health, and well-being.

History
In 1972, community representatives met together to develop a plan to address issues faced by
homebound individuals in the Greater Trenton community. On April 2, 1973, with the help of
Mercer Hospital, the VNA (Visiting Nurses Association), and TEAM (Trenton Ecumenical Area
Ministry), along with the financial support of churches, service clubs, corporations and
individuals, Mobile Meals of Trenton came into existence.
In 2002, Mobile Meals of Trenton welcomed a merger with the Ewing Meals on Wheels program,
becoming Mobile Meals of Trenton/Ewing. In 2011, the Board of Directors changed the name
from Mobile Meals of Trenton/Ewing to Meals on Wheels of Trenton/Ewing to be more closely
aligned with the national organization, the Meals on Wheels Association of America. In 2016,
our name changed again to Meals on Wheels of Mercer County to reflect the formal expansion
into the 6 additional municipalities of Hamilton, Lawrence, Princeton, West Windsor, East
Windsor, and Hightstown. In 2019, Meals on Wheels of Mercer County welcomed another
merger with Lawrence Township Meals on Wheels.
Volunteer feedback is very important to us. Please feel free at any time to reach out to the
Director of Volunteers or any MOWMC staff with comments or suggestions on how we may
improve your experience with the organization.

Volunteer Position Description
MOW: Home Delivered Meals
RESPONSIBILITIES: On their assigned day, the volunteers deliver hot and cold meals to
homebound participants within the Mercer County area. As the volunteers deliver the meals,
they check to see if the participant is safe and thriving in their home, and report any unusual
circumstances. In this way, the volunteers serve as a link between MOWMC and the homebound
participant. Volunteers work under the supervision of the Director of Volunteer Services,
providing training and guidance as needed.

TASKS:
1. Pick up meals at Daly Dining Hall at Rider University between 10am and 10:15am.
2. Maintain correct temperatures for food by keeping food in the containers provided and
keeping them closed during transport.
4. Deliver meals to between 10 to 17 households, greet participants, and check to see
that they are ok.
5. Call the office right away if participant is not home and you cannot reach them.
6. Return empty containers and route sheets to shed immediately after delivery.
7. Call the office to notify MOWMC staff of any problems or client needs.
8. Occasionally, deliver the MOWMC’s monthly billing, shelf-stable food bags and pet food.
9. Notify MOWMC in advance if unable to deliver on assigned day.
10. Adhere to COVID safety protocols (see training video)

Working with Participants
Boundaries
Our volunteers work with people who have many needs –more needs than any volunteer could
ever meet. As in all relationships, challenges can arise around misunderstandings and differing
expectations. Thus, knowing how to maintain your boundaries as a volunteer is an essential
aspect of a successful volunteer-participant relationship.
Participants may be receiving a single service but rarely have a single need. As a volunteer your
responsibility is to meet their basic need of food security, helping to provide them with nutritious
meals thus helping them age in place. What is important is not to confuse what exactly your roles
should be. You are the friendly human connection and deliverer of nutrition. You are our daily
eyes and ears. Confusing your role and not keeping boundaries in place can unintentionally harm
the participants we serve, yourself, and the Meals on Wheels program. It is important to help
our participants manage their expectations and offer them only what our program is set out to
do.
However, you also serve as a connection between relaying their unmet needs to Meals on Wheels
staff who can then connect the participant to the proper resources. Your role also includes
noticing if the senior seems different than usual one day or you have any concerns about their
physical/emotional/or mental health and relaying that to Meals on wheels staff.
Taking on anything on your own or making promises, will not serve the participant well. The
Meals on Wheels staff is always here for you and if there is a question about anything, please do
not hesitate to contact us. We rather hear from you, than not hear from you!

Tips for success:
1. Be clear with your participant about what you are offering. When considering anything that is
not required of you as a volunteer, do only what is sustainable for you and your lifestyle.
2. Remember that your volunteering is about decreasing participant difficulties and improving
quality of life, not fixing or removing problems.
3. Focus on what you are doing, not on what you are limited to do.

Cultural Sensitivity & Competence
Meals on Wheels serves the diverse population of Mercer County, a community with different
ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, religions, economic classes, political views and more. It is
extremely important that our volunteers are culturally sensitive, and seek to be culturally
competent.
Cultural sensitivity is making an effort to be aware of the potential and actual cultural factors that
affect volunteers’ relationships with participants.
Cultural competence is the ability to work effectively with individuals from different cultural and
ethnic backgrounds.
The first culturally different reality that volunteers often encounter is interacting with someone
from an older generation. Some discover quickly that habits, cultural references and what
constitutes politeness, can be very different for these seniors. These all require respect and
sensitivity.
As a MOWMC volunteer, your service task is completely independent of cultural difference.
Making friends from a cultural group different from your own is an opportunity to see the world
from another perspective.

Confidentiality
All MOWMC volunteers are required to respect and maintain the confidentiality, both during and
after their volunteer service with MOWMC, of all MOWMC proprietary information, including
but not limited to route sheets, participant information, correspondence and communications,
to which the volunteer has access in carrying out their responsibilities and duties. Confidentiality
is essential to the sound relationship with our participants. It is also a legal and ethical matter of
the utmost importance. All volunteers are to exercise great care when discussing participant
services.

Procedures
We have over 25 delivery routes the cover most of Mercer County, including Trenton (most
needed), Ewing, Hamilton, Lawrence, Princeton, East Windsor / West Windsor/ Hightstown.
As a delivery volunteer, you can be a: Driver, Runner, or go Solo (do both)
In line with the MOW model, we would encourage you to take on a permanent route. This
allows you and the participants to develop relationships and to also be aware of any changes the
participants may exhibit. This is a key component to combatting the social isolation so many
experience.

Drug-Free Policy
MOWMC provides a drug-free environment in compliance with federal, state, and local laws. The
purpose of this policy is to reinforce the long-standing commitment of MOWMC to provide a safe
and healthy environment for all.
The use, possession, manufacture, and distribution, dispensation or sale of illegal drugs, alcohol,
or any controlled substance on MOWMC or Rider University’s premises or program sites, in
MOWMC vehicles or during volunteer hours, is strictly prohibited. Similarly, it is prohibited for
any volunteer to be under the influence of illegal drugs, alcohol, or any controlled substance on
MOWMC premises or program sites, in MOWMC vehicles or during working hours.

Meal Pick Up
   •   Meals are prepared & picked up on campus at Daly Dining hall from the Joseph P. Vona
       Center between 10 - 10:15am.
   •   Stay by your car or wait outside and Call/text (609) 977-4153 to let us know you have
       arrived and the make/color of your car.
   •   Please let us know if you need the following or feel free to get everything from the bin
       outside: Gloves, Masks, Plastic bags, Window placard, Volunteer ID badge, sorry we
       missed you sign
   •   Route Sheets for the day will be in the hot bag and will include: Participant’s name,
       Address, apartment number (if they live in an apartment), Phone number, Directions,
       delivery notes, Extra notes for specific delivery items (grocery bag, smokehouse etc.)
   •   All cold bags will be in a cooler with participant’s names and all hot trays will be in an
       insulated hot bag with a heating element with participants names.
   •   You will pick up or have brought to your car the cooler, hot bag and sometimes an extra
       cold bag for overflow. A couple of times a month there is pet food and once a month

there are groceries (this will be noted on the route sheet) and other items especially
       around the holidays.

Meal Delivery
   •   Wear MOWMC volunteer ID badge while volunteering
Deliver the meal(s) as follows:
1. Place the hot tray FLAT in the shopping bag
2. Hang the plastic bag with the hot meal and the bag with the cold meal on the door
3. Knock/ring doorbell and step back 6 feet
4. Wait for the participant to open the door and confirm that they received the meal
5. If, after waiting a reasonable amount of time and there is no answer, try calling the participant,
if necessary

Currently we are not entering any homes for delivery. Participants/families who normally
require this are being contacted and informed that someone will need to be present to retrieve
the meal or make other arrangements. If you have any delivery issues related to this, please call
the office.
IF THERE IS NO ANSWER:
If there is no answer, please make every reasonable attempt to deliver the meal.
• It is our policy NOT to leave a meal, so it is important to make every attempt to deliver
• Please call, knock on doors and windows, call out "Meals on Wheels" -- listen for any voices or
noises on the other side of the door
• If you do not hear any response
   1. Call our offices before you take the meal back and make sure you speak with a staff
      member.
   2. Leave a "Sorry we missed you slip"
   3. “Sorry We Missed You” slips are used when the volunteer can’t deliver to the participant.
The slip lets the participant know that an attempt was made and that they need to call the office
to receive meals again.

Protocols

When to call the office (Urgent):
       • The participant is not home and you could not reach them
       • You are concerned about the participants mental/physical health
       • You needed to call 911 in an emergency
       • A participant is on the floor
       • The participant told you that they will not be home on a certain day to accept the meal
       • You suspect elder abuse/neglect or self-neglect.
        Older adults and people with disabilities who neglect themselves are not willing or        able to perform
       essential self-care tasks such as providing food, clothing or adequate shelter; obtaining adequate medical
       care; obtaining goods and services necessary to maintain physical and mental health, wellbeing, personal
       hygiene and general safety and managing financial affairs.

When to put notes on route sheet (Not Urgent):
       •    The participant had a message for the office regarding changes to meals. Please encourage the
            participant to call the office.
       •    The directions need to be fixed

Put into the mailbox:
       •    The route sheet once you have completed your route as they may have your notes and are
            confidential and will be shredded.
       •    Any envelopes or money, the participant may have given you.
 In Case of Emergency, dial 9-1-1 and wait for help to arrive. Call the office when possible so
 we are aware and can notify family.

At the end of your delivery, you will return to Rider and put the cooler, ice packs, hot bag and heating element
inside the shed, which is around the corner from where you picked up the food. It is very important to return
everything as the kitchen needs it for the next day.

Online Scheduling
Please visit mowmc.mowscheduler.com/helpwanted to sign up for a route.

   •   You can view open slots for each week for the following volunteer opportunities:
       1) Driver – you drive and someone else delivers the meals
       2) Runner – Someone else drives and you deliver the meals
       3) Driver and Runner – you do both. This is ideal in the age of COVID as many people are not
       comfortable going with another person they do not know. You may bring a spouse or family member.
Note: If you are bringing someone or can deliver alone, please sign up for both Driver & Runner slots so we
know the route is fully covered and no one else signs up.
On-site help / backup for delivery (10am – 11am, plus possible delivery):
Provide extra help loading cars, bringing coolers to front from kitchen and be available to deliver meals if any
volunteers do not show up.

                 Thank you for committing to help our community, our elders,
            and advance the Meals on Wheels mission – TOGETHER WE CAN DELIVER