Programs

H.O.P.E. -  is for our most needy clients.  Volunteers deliver an extra bag of non-perishable groceries, provided by the Capital Area Food Bank, one Saturday a month. Watch our video to learn more!

For more information, please email korgan@mealsonwheelsandmore.org or call 476-6325.

H.O.P.E. (Healthy Options Program for the Elderly) matches volunteers with a client in need of a shelf-stable bag of groceries to be delivered to their home.  Volunteers must be able to:

• Use their own vehicle to deliver pre-packaged sacks of groceries to a group of assigned clients on the second Saturdays of the month.
• Must be able to follow driving directions via a provided map and be willing to deliver to various areas of town within Austin.
• Flexible volunteer program in which most of the delivery routes have permanently assigned volunteers; however, new volunteers are needed on a monthly basis to fill in as substitute drivers.

H.O.P.E. is a collaboration between Meals on Wheels and More and the Capital Area Food Bank.  The collaboration serves to provide additional food items to upwards of 350 Meals on Wheels and More clients who have been identified as food insecure.  Pallets of food are delivered from the Capital Area Food Bank on a monthly basis and the food is sorted and packed by a team of volunteers.  The sacks typically consist of 13 shelf stable food items which aim to bring additional food into an often impoverished household.  Grocery sack pick up occurs on the 2nd Saturday of every month between 10am - 11am.  and pick up and delivery tend to take 2 hours or fewer.  Volunteers arrive at our East 5th St. location and receive a route sheet with a map attached.  Volunteers fill in as substitutes on an as needed basis and also only during the months in which it fits into their own schedule.

How groups can get involved?

A team is needed monthly to sort the food items and to pack the 350 individual sacks.  This tends to serve as a good team building activity.  The project tends to take 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the group.  The volunteer packing day must occur during a week day Monday through Friday on a date
to be determined by the team and the program coordinator.  *often necessary to schedule months in advance.

Another way a group may get involved is through conducting a food drive for the H.O.P.E. program.  Items typically needed are canned fruits and vegetables, rice and grains, canned meats or proteins, and especially nutritional drinks such as Ensure or Boost.

If you are interested in volunteering for this program please contact Kristin Organ korgan@mealsonwheelsandmore.org

*NOTE: Before becoming a volunteer, we ask that you speak with a volunteer coordinator, fill out an application, provide copies of both your driver’s license and car insurance, and allow us to run a criminal background check. You must also attend a short orientation session.