Becoming a Volunteer

Volunteers start between 11:00 and 11:30am. Routes take approximately 90 minutes to complete.

We keep our schedule flexible for our volunteers. Some volunteers deliver each week, while others deliver once every 4-6 weeks, depending on what’s needed in a particular area. Since we rely so heavily on volunteers to help us carry out our mission, we will work to accommodate whatever sort of schedule you are looking to create.

We have over 40 routes covering all of New Castle County, Delaware. We keep the routes in small geographic areas to make delivery easy for our volunteers to fit every thing in during the short delivery period. We have 10 pickup sites throughout the county, so it’s likely that you’ll find a route convenient to home or work.

Our daily routes consist of two different meal types. A client may receive just one meal, or both of the meals offered. Meals are picked up in two (sometimes three) coolers. The coolers easily fit in standard car trunks and in backseats—even if you have a 2-door vehicle! We occasionally deliver extra food when we will be closed for a major holiday. Volunteers would always receive advance notice in order to plan for the extra space needed.

Volunteers are always provided with a route sheet when they pick up their coolers. The route sheet will list the client’s name, address, and phone number. Our expert outreach team writes detailed directions from stop to stop so that you can easily navigate the route. This list will also tell you what meals the client is slated to receive on a particular day.

We have a list of procedures to follow whenever you’re delivering Meals on Wheels. We’ll go over these at a training session. Here, we’ll go over the meal types and abbreviations, special meal notes, and all of the procedures from start to finish. Typically, volunteers will train on the same day they’d like to start delivering. That way, once all of your questions are answered, the procedures will be fresh in your mind and you can head out on the road!

Call Katie Soja at (302) 421-3731 to get an application or click HERE.