Meals On Wheels delivers through the bitter cold

Jim Sirianni has delivered dinners with Meals On Wheels for the last five years.

“Yeah, they’re great people.  And in weather like this, it’s just great to know that we can make sure that they’re okay,” Sirianni said.

The subzero temperatures and snow-covered doorsteps aren’t the most convenient conditions to face, but Sirianni said

“I have all of four or five minutes with them, so you can’t for sure tell what’s going on, but it helps to just make contact with them,” Sirianni said.

Sirianni and the other Meals On Wheels volunteers are trained to check the welfare of the hundreds of food recipients.  Many of those individuals are among the most vulnerable in freezing cold weather.  Those volunteers also have emergency contact information on hand for all of the people they visit.

“This would take fifteen minutes to get frostbite, so it would be pretty bad for them.  Most of them do not even think about going outside, but the bigger issue would be if their electricity went off,” Sirianni said.

“We’re more than a delivery service.  We are doing safety checks.  The most important thing is to let us know if there are any issues so we can follow up with whoever we have to to make sure people are safe in their homes,” Independent Living, Inc. Volunteer Service Manager Dan Barlow said.

Barlow added everyone should be looking out for their neighbors in this kind of winter weather.

“You can always help someone out around you out.  If you think someone isn’t getting the help they need, call someone, check in on yourself,” Barlow said.

Barlow said for every person in need of meals, there’s a need for another volunteer.  If you’re interested in helping with Meals On Wheels, you can call Barlow’s office at 608-268-9641.