Volunteer drivers of Homebound Meals will pick up two coolers, one with hot food and one with cold food from Rehabilitation Hospital at Lutheran, Saint Joseph Hospital, or Parkview Randallia.
Homebound Meals uses an app which will give our drivers the directions to each client’s home. There are no more than 12 clients on each route. The time required to run a route is rarely more than an hour and a half. Meals are delivered Monday through Friday during the noontime hour.
The coolers are returned to the pick up location (unless you choose to use your own). The volunteer driver drives their own vehicle.
Driving schedules can be flexible as many of the drivers go away for the winter or summer. Some will go away for long vacations. We are also always in need of substitute drivers – for those who are more adventurous!
Use Homebound Meals office telephone number at the top of all route sheets whenever necessary. The office is open Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM, phone number 260-422-3296.
Be dependable and punctual at your assigned facility on the day you drive. Call the office if you have car trouble or are delayed in some manner.
Call the office as soon as possible to tell us if you need a substitute on your assigned day.
Check the hot and cold boxes before you leave the facility to make sure you have the correct meals and clipboard with directions for your route.
Check route sheets for changes and cancellations. We will bring them to your attention when we call the day a volunteer drives.
Enter and leave the client’s home with a cheerful word. Remember that you are bringing something of the outside world to the client. You may be the only person the client sees that day.
Chat with the client while serving the meal, but remember, too much time spent at each home may not give those at the end of the route a hot meal.
Encourage the client to eat the meal while it is warm.
Be alert in observing such things that may cause accidents such as the smell of gas, running water, etc.
Encourage the clients to tell their family if you notice a medical problem that should be looked at. Call the Home Bound Meals office with ANY concerns you have regarding a client. If the situation is critical, call 911 first, then the office.
Check with a neighbor or apartment office if the client is not home when you deliver, if possible.
Call the office if you have problems on your route: if a client is not at home or there is a medical problem. The office will follow up to make sure the client is all right.
Encourage the clients to phone the office before 7 a.m. if they wish to cancel meals.
Phone the office from the client’s home if there is an error in packed food boxes. We will try to correct the problem.
Correct the route sheet if directions are wrong or if you have a better route. Please call the office with corrections.
Write your exact mileage at the bottom of the sheet. This information is important for year end statistics.
Leave facility clipboard, route sheet, and boxes at facility when you complete the route. The office emails you your own route sheet copy every Friday.
Be careful not to ask questions that will encourage talking at length about bad health.
Please do not criticize the food, rather make a note if the client complains food is consistently poor and call the office.
Remember we do not deliver on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, and two days at Christmas Day. If meals are cancelled due to weather, Homebound Meals will have a message recorded on 260-422-3296, be included in the closing ribbons run at the bottom of the 3 major television stations in Fort Wayne and will notify WOWO radio for their broadcast. We will also include this information our Facebook page.
Volunteer application form
Those interested in becoming a volunteer driver for Homebound Meals should fill out the form linked here.
Please allow one business day for the volunteer application to electronically arrive at our office. After that, please call (260) 422-3296 and verify that it has arrived.
