Erie nonprofits scramble to find enough volunteers to transport meals, visit veterans

MaryBeth Ford has a Thursday morning routine. She leaves her Meals on Wheels office and drives to the LECOM Senior Living Center.

She picks up a box of prepared meals, then heads to the old KMart parking lot in Harborcreek Township, where she gives the meals to Gary Post, a volunteer delivery driver for the Erie-based nonprofit.

"Someone from Meals on Wheels does that exchange every weekday morning," said Ford, Meals on Wheels assistant director. "The only way we can keep drivers in North East is to meet them in Harborcreek. They don't want to drive all the way into Erie to pick up the meals."

Keeping volunteers happy has never been so important, not just for Meals on Wheels but other Erie-area nonprofit organizations as well.

The percentage of Americans who volunteer has declined for decades but it dropped about 7 percentage points between 2019 and 2021, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps survey reported by the Associated Press. Only 23% of Americans volunteered at least once in the previous year with a formal nonprofit.

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"We had an abundance of volunteers when COVID-19 started and people were laid off," Ford said. "But it changed within the last year. People are back to normal. They are back working their jobs."

But the demand for prepared meals continues to increase as Erie County's population ages and more people qualify for the meals.

When Ford started working at Meals on Wheels in 2016, it delivered 72 meals a day. It now delivers about 200.

"I think the pandemic drew back the curtain in our community and showed how great the need is — not just for Meals on Wheels but many other nonprofits," said Jennifer Hoffman, Meals on Wheels executive director. "Right now we could use two more drivers a day, or 10 each week. Otherwise we might have to start a waitlist, and we don't want to do that."

Erie VAMC needs volunteers to drive, spend time with veterans

Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center also is looking for more volunteer drivers to transport patients to the Erie and Pittsburgh VA hospitals, various clinics and other medical facilities.

Drivers account for more than 35% of all Erie VAMC volunteers, and they currently have about 115 of them compared to nearly 150 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"At the height of the pandemic, a lot of our drivers chose not to drive," said Karen O'Neal, chief of Erie VAMC's Center for Development & Civic Engagement. "A lot of veterans had to change their appointment times, but we never stopped service in our region."

Many of those drivers have returned but Erie VAMC could use more so current drivers don't have to make as many trips, O'Neal said.

The health system has also recruited new drivers, including Don Meyer. He transports veterans to Erie-area medical facilities, including Erie VAMC, UPMC Hamot, Saint Vincent Hospital, local cancer centers and physician offices.

"I have a history of volunteering and a gentleman at one of the other places I volunteer suggested that I come to the VA," said Meyer, a 60-year-old Navy veteran. "I asked them what they needed the most and they said drivers."

But you don't have to be a driver to volunteer. The Erie VA is also looking for people who are willing to visit with veterans living in the hospital or its community care center.

"They can do anything from one-on-one visits to calling bingo to hosting a holiday party," O'Neal said. "The good news is that we are onboarding volunteers at about the rate we did pre-COVID. We are getting there."

If someone is looking to volunteer, a good place to learn what organizations are seeking help is https://www.serviceforthesoul.org/opportunity-board/recurring-opportunities.

ServErie is seeing more volunteers, but not back to pre-COVID levels

ServErie is also starting to see its number of volunteers increase following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The faith-based nonprofit, made up of about 50 area churches and 40 other organizations, specializes in large-scale community service projects.

"We had 252 volunteers at 17 different locations during our last project on April 22," said Kerrie Grande, ServErie program director. "It was a little higher than what we saw the last couple of years, though we were getting 300 to 400 volunteers before COVID."

More: Giving back: Hundreds of ServErie volunteers take part in East Avenue cleanup

But, like Meals on Wheels and Erie VAMC, ServErie could use more people.

Not only are its numbers still lower than before the pandemic, many of its volunteers also are older than 65. Finding younger people to help is important.

"With younger people, it's about making the schedules align," Grande said. "They might not be available on a certain day, or a certain time of day."

Meals on Wheels relies on retired volunteers because its meals are delivered weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon, when many younger people are working.

If someone who works during the day wants to volunteer, Hoffman and Ford place them in the Meals on Wheels grocery shopping and delivery program.

"But the demand for the premade meals is growing," Ford said. "We need drivers. We're at the point where I'm just trying to get through today, tomorrow and the rest of the week."

HOW TO VOLUNTEER FOR THESE ORGANIZATIONS

Meals on Wheels: Visit https://mealsonwheelserie.org/volunteer or call 814-452-6930.

Erie VAMC: Visit https://www.va.gov/erie-health-care/work-with-us/volunteer-or-donate or call 814-860-2024.

ServErie: Email info@serverie.com or call 814-580-5380.

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie nonprofits scamble to find volunteers