Snowy road conditions impact non-profit
MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The snow impacted not just schools and businesses, but nonprofits like Monroe County Meals on Wheels.
They spoke to us this week about how they preplan around storms to make sure their clients don’t go without food.
This isn’t filling up your usual grocery bag, it’s packing non-perishable items for Monroe County Meals on Wheels clients in case of an emergency.
“They’re shelf stable bags with things like juice and soup and tuna so that way if we can’t get there if our volunteers can’t make it to the client’s door, we know and they know that they have something in the home that they can eat,” said Alyssa Koeck, executive director of Monroe County Meals on Wheels.
These bags were packed and delivered to hundreds of its clients across the county ahead of Friday’s storm providing an extra safety measure in case volunteers can’t deliver the meals.
“If it does come out of nowhere or comes from being an inch or two to all of a sudden it’s three to five that predelivery just isn’t a possibility so that’s really when those emergency bags come into play.”
Friday’s winter weather is the second snowstorm this week to close the non-profit.
Fortunately, they planned ahead, delivering frozen meals and emergency bags ahead of time so no one goes without a meal.
Koeck says they continue to see an uptick in need, last year alone they hit their highest average number of clients served on record.
“We received 15 calls for services this week alone so our numbers are going to keep growing, which just means we’re asking for the community’s support more than ever whether it’s donations of funds or donations of time.”
Now competing with mother nature, Koeck says they’re always looking for extra hands to not just deliver meals but to also provide comfort and support for their clients.
“They’re the ones that go out, get to a client, and say, ‘Hey you know Mr. Jones, we went to deliver today and his house seems really cold, maybe somebody should check in on him.’”
Monroe County Meals on Wheels says they’re looking for volunteers with pickup trucks, SUVs, or any vehicle that’s good in the snow to help deliver in this kind of weather.
If you’re interested, you can contact their office on Route 209 in Stroudsburg.
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