The program is known as Meals on Wheels and the New Ulm area needs more volunteers.

Land Hudson has served as the coordinator for the Meals on Wheels program since May. He explained each weekday, meals produced in by Lutheran Social Services (LSS) in Mankato are shipped to New Ulm Community Center kitchen.

After some additional prep-work in the kitchen, the meals and then distributed throughout the New Ulm community as well as some other satellite locations including sites in Sleepy Eye, Springfield, Comfrey and St. James.

Hudson estimated there were 65 meals distributed in New Ulm every weekday with a total of 150 meals spread through the other communities.

Landon Hudson, right, site coordinator for New Ulm Meals on Wheels drops off meals in the Highland Regency House commons room. Local residents Sylvia Barnes, left, and Julie Rolloff, center, assist with collecting the meals and delivering them to other residents in the building.

There are meal deliver routes that are run each week by area volunteer.

“We have 40 volunteers that are pretty regular,” Hudson said. “Some do shifts every week or month.”

However, Hudson acknowledged they are in need of more volunteers. Even with 40 volunteers helping at least once a month, there are empty spots on the delivery route.

“We need more substitutes to fill in,” Hudson said.

Currently, several volunteers are pitching in to run routes as needed. Chief among the volunteers are the Fischers, Delbert and Adelle, who mainly serve as backups. The couple has driven as many as nine routes a month for Meals on Wheels. Delbert said that tends to happen when you’re the first call on the substitute list.

Meals on Wheels volunteers Rita Henderson and Adelle Fischer move pre-prepared meals from the New Ulm Community Center to their vehicles Monday morning for distribution around the community.

The Fischers said they don’t mind helping with Meal on Wheels. They have been volunteering for years ever since a friend invited them to participate.

The Fischers agreed it was a relatively easy job. A single route typically takes an hour to complete and they get a chance to visit seniors on the program.

“Its a great program,” Adelle Fischer said. “For some seniors, we are the only people they might see all day.”

Opal Dewanz is another longtime Meals on Wheels Volunteer. She has been driving routes for nearly 20 years after a friend asked her to help. For years she drove routes with her husband, but for the last seven years completed routes with Rita Henderson.

Dewanz estimated they drove three or four Meals on Wheels routes a year. She said the only frustration with driving routes is when new locations were added and its not easy to find.

“But it is good for you,” Dewanz said. “It forces you to learn more about the community.”

Dewanz said she continues to volunteer with Meals on Wheels because delivering lunch to the seniors makes her feel good.

Henderson agreed that if felt good and the seniors they brought meals to are always happy to see them.

“They always like to visit,” Henderson said.

“We get to check in on people too,” Dewanz said. “For some seniors, we’re they only people they see.”

Hudson said he too regularly drives routes as a substitute. Every Thursday he drives to the satellite location in Sleepy Eye to deliver meals. He will also fill-in on routes through New Ulm if a volunteer driver cannot make it. Last week he delivered meals to Sunset Apartments and Highland Regency.

Typically,these extra routes only take 45 minutes to an hour. But to ensure meals are delivered on time, he would like to see more volunteers.

“If we had 10 more substitute volunteers, that would be perfect,” Hudson said.

Asked who made the best Meals on Wheels volunteers, Hudson said retirees were among the best volunteers. They often had the free-time to fill in when needed, but he said anyone who loved the local community and wanted to help should volunteer.

“It is a nice thing that people are taken care of,” he said. “For the seniors who get meals once a day, it is one less thing to worry about.”

That is the main reason Meals on Wheels exists. For many senior citizens it can be a challenge to know where the next meal is coming from. Some might not be able to easily leave their home and other might be on a tight budget.

There are also some seniors who are only temporarily on the Meals on Wheels program. Hudson explained that some seniors after undergoing surgery cannot easily leave their home. The Meals and Wheels program can be a temporary service until they recover.

“In a world with a lot of uncertainty it is great for them to know at least one meal is coming today,” Hudson said. “I think it is comforting for people to know we are here for them.”

In addition to the Meals on Wheels program, LSS offer a congregate dining option. Every weekday a lunch is served at the Community Center cafeteria for those who want to each lunch as a group. Just like with the Meals on Wheels program, for residents 60 and older there is no charge for the meals, though there is a recommended donation for those who can afford it.

Hudson said seniors will never be forced to pay for a meal, but said they are free to donate what they can. The dining program and Meals on Wheels are designed to help seniors who are on fixed budgets, but the program also helps alleviate social isolation, which continues to be a concern.