Tasha Fitzgibbons is an experienced Meals on Wheels volunteer driver.
“It is really just a small part of my daily life to drive around to deliver lunch,” Fitzgibbons said.
The retired educator began driving for Meals on Wheels six years ago, just before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“She knows what she is doing,” Meals on Wheels Site Director Sunny Hall told The Highlander.
Earlier this month,
Hall let The Highlander ride along with Fitzgibbons as she motored through many Marble Falls neighborhoods to observe as Fitzgibbon and her niece Kylie Coutenos knock on doors and deliver hot food to needy folks at several addresses.
“It (Meals on Wheels) is an incredible organization,” Fitzgibbons said. “I remember when my great-grandparents received food from Meals on Wheels. I thought it was so sweet.”
Indeed, Meals on Wheels means more than just a meal.
More often than not, food delivery always includes a brief but meaningful wellness check on each meal recipient, Fitzgibbons added.
At every stop of her route –Avenue J, Avenue L, Avenue N, Bluebonnet Drive, Colorado, Third Street, Sixth Street – Fitzgibbons greeted people happy to be seen and feel alive, including Elicia Barnes, Linda Butler, Ana Cole and Richard Schofman.
Any question for a recipient like “How are you doing?” goes a long way, Fitzgibbon said.
“Some people are very chatty, some are not, and that is OK,” she added. “We just want to make sure people are OK. I remember how my grandparents struggled with isolation.”
Meals on Wheels coordinators are always on the look-out for volunteer drivers, Fitzgibbons said.
On the average, each volunteer needs to undergo two to three hours of training before they are permitted to deliver meals, she added.
“Then, you are off and running,” Fitzgibbons said. “It is an easy thing to do – but it is of great value.”
Several days of each month, Meals on Wheels (part of Opportunities for Williamson and Burnet counties) prepares and distributes free meals to many folks who cannot safely prepare meals for themselves at home.
According to Williamson and Burnet counties Meal on Wheels Development Director Dori Yeater:
• The program operates in all 50 states. In Texas, the Meals on Wheels annual budget totals more than $2.4 million.
• Federal funds cover about 60% of expenses; the other 40% comes from the Capital Area Council of Governments, the Texas Department of Agriculture, city and county grants and private contributions; and
• Eligible recipients include people 60 and over, homebound due to illness, disability, frailty, or inability to prepare meals.
More than 170 recipients live in Burnet County, many are veterans.
Meals on Wheels volunteers must pass a background check and carry a valid driver’s license.
Volunteers are not reimbursed for gas.
The program is not open to court-mandated community service.
Contact Sunny Hall at 512-641-3500 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.
