As spring has arrived in Chautauqua County, Jamestown Meals on Wheels has expanded its volunteer route system, and is in need of community volunteers to help deliver meals to senior citizens.

“This time of year is a great time to think about delivering meals for Meals on Wheels,” said Barrie Yochim, executive director for Meals on Wheels of the Jamestown Area. “The weather is turning warmer, and we have an opportunity to ask new volunteers to come forward and deliver for us.”

Meals on Wheels volunteers assist the community by delivering essential and nutritious meals each weekday to seniors within their own homes. Accepting seniors remain happy and healthy as a result of their daily meal deliveries. Statistics show that these seniors live longer, and are kept out of more costly hospitals and nursing homes, as the result of receiving home-delivered meals from Meals on Wheels and its volunteers.

Meals on Wheels has added three additional volunteer routes each day, Monday through Friday, in the community. Those routes, combined with seven other daily delivery routes which have existed for years, give community volunteers a large opportunity to help their community and get essential home-delivered meals into the hands of seniors who need those meals.

The additional routes will bring the total routes to be delivered each week to fifty routes. These routes consist of between five and 12 meal recipients, and take up to a half hour to deliver.

The new routes which will be available are located:

– on Jamestown’s east side, near East Second Street west of the Falconer village line

– on Jamestown’s west side, near West Third Street near Hall Avenue

– and, on Jamestown’s southwest side, near Hazeltine Avenue.

Yochim said that a staff member accompanies the volunteer on the route the first time the volunteer delivers meals. This gives the volunteer the chance to understand the delivery system and the Meals on Wheels program.

“A volunteer could easily deliver that first time without our help, but we know the volunteers are more comfortable this way,” he said. “The volunteers get to understand how to deliver meals to each individual client, and there are no surprises.”

Volunteers can volunteer one day a week or less frequently, as schedules allow, he said. Businesses and companies are encouraged to volunteer as a group, to allow many different individuals the chance to deliver to the area’s senior citizens. Volunteers use their own cars to deliver meals.

Jamestown Meals on Wheels provides heatable, supplemental, frozen and boxed bundle meals to seniors who qualify for home meal delivery. Meals on volunteer delivery routes are generally delivered between 10 a.m. and noon each day.

To volunteer for Meals on Wheels, call 716-488-9119.

Jamestown Meals on Wheels is a United Way partner agency. Jamestown Meals on Wheels also utilizes volunteers from RSVP to deliver meals in the community.