The

Meals on Wheels volunteer crew is a diverse lot.

Monday

through Friday, young mothers with a toddler or

two in tow, retired couples, secretaries on lunch

break and church women drive up to the white

frame house that serves as the headquarters for

Fayette Senior Services, and pick up their lunch

coolers loaded for delivery. Within two hours

they return with empty coolers and a sense of

satisfaction that comes from a job well-done.

Senior

Services' volunteers annually log about 10,000

hours a year, according to Fran Plunkett,

volunteer coordinator for Fayette Senior

Services. Between 85 and 95 meals are prepared

and delivered five days a week to home-bound

seniors living on one of 13 routes that

crisscross from Brooks and Fayetteville to Tyrone

and Peachtree City, Plunkett noted.

Meals

on Wheels recipients receive more than a hot meal

Monday through Friday, they get a smile, and a

sincere "How are you today?" from their

volunteers. For case worker Ann Hudson,

volunteers can provide valuable feedback on

clients. "The volunteers have been our eyes

and ears," Plunkett said.

If

a client fails to answer the door for a meal

delivery, volunteers report their findings back

to Senior Services where Hudson can follow up

with a phone call. Alerting authorities to a

client's possible illness or fall can and has

saved lives, according to Plunkett. "We're

doing more than delivering a meal."

Responses

from volunteers are almost always positive.

Returning from their routes, you hear things

like, "We love what we do." "I get

a lot of satisfaction out of this."

"You have your favorites on the

route..." "It's fun." "I get

a lot of pleasure out of it," added Wallace

Taylor who drives route 13 along with his wife,

Erma.

Recently,

the volunteers who sustain Fayette Senior

Services were recognized for their hours of

dedicated service at a breakfast hosted by

Fayette Community Hospital. The men and women who

deliver meals and spend time at the center with

Fayette County's seniors were awarded tokens of

appreciation by Andy Carden, director of senior

services in the form of umbrellas, tote bags and

a sports jacket.

Ranked

among the top volunteers in numbers of hours

served included Dick Clontz, John Crowe, also

recognized as a United Way volunteer of the

month, Sandy Gary and Connie Davis. Also

recognized were Tina Burns, Tim Cox, Martha

Crowe, Debbie Eubanks, Don and Mary Ann Harding,

Debby Miller, Paul Marin, Diann Newsome, Martha

Powell, Sue Seaman, David Smith, Virginia Smith,

Sharon Stanley, Jerry Wall and Marie Washburn.

The substitute drivers were also praised by

Senior Services officials. "The subs are our

lifeline," noted Plunkett.

Fayette

Senior Services is supported by the Atlanta

Regional Commission, United Way, and local

municipalities. For information about programs or

volunteer opportunities, phone 770-461-0813.

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