February 2013 Volume 12, Number 12
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Chuck LeClaire/Beaver County Senior News
Meals On Wheels volunteers Yvonne Stanko, Gerry Pearl, Allen Johnson, Ed Ayers, Bill Berger and Guy Polce.
Meals On Wheels delivers nutrition, smiles to the homebound Meals On Wheels volunteers help program participants stay independent in their homes by delivering a nutritious, freshly prepared meal and by offering a safety check every Monday through Friday. But now, participants are worried that Meals On Wheels won’t be around for them if there
aren’t enough volunteers to deliver the meals. Volunteers are the backbone of the program, outnumbering paid staff 3-to-1. Many of the current volunteers have been delivering meals since the early 1970s, when the agency opened most of its Beaver County locations.
“In the 20 plus years I’ve been volunteering to drive for Meals on Wheels, I have met countless older people who have become almost surrogate parents to me,” says Ed Ayers of Patterson Township. “The contact with the client, cooks and Continued on page 6
Read page 8 to learn how the American Heart Association is helping to save lives.
BCOA announces retirement of long-time staff member. See page 12.