Jim and Gaye volunteer with help from MODO

Last holiday season, we spoke with Jim and Gaye  - 2 Meals on Wheels (MOW) volunteers about their experiences.

We couldn’t reach as many MOW clients as we do without the help of our large volunteer team - almost 400 volunteers! Although the majority of our volunteers make deliveries with their own cars, many of our volunteers make use of car-sharing. (And some other volunteers deliver by bike). 

Using Care BC’s MODO account makes it easy for even more people to volunteer their time. In some cases, using a MODO vehicle provides more room for longer routes. The MODO cars have also been used when a volunteer’s regular vehicle is being repaired or maintained.

There are special times of the year when our volunteers have more to deliver – for more than 40 years, the Garden Club of Vancouver has supplied beautiful floral arrangements which we share with our clients. On these special days, having access to a larger MODO car ensures our volunteers can still carry on with their routes without having to worry about cargo space in their own vehicles.

Last December, we chatted with two volunteers who use MODO vehicles on the day the Garden Club floral arrangements were delivered. We met Jim at the MAVA kitchens (where our Western Meals are produced); Jim is a courier – meaning he brings batches of meals to depots across the city. “My personal car is a two-seater,” says Jim. “I wouldn’t be able to deliver meals and floral arrangements without using a larger car from MODO. I’m glad I can still help out as a courier on special days like today.”

We next met with our delivery volunteer, Gaye, in the South Granville area. Delivery volunteers pick up meals from the couriers at our depots and bring the meals directly to our clients. “I don’t have a car”, says Gaye, “but I can still make a difference with a MODO vehicle. I enjoy volunteering and giving back to the community all year, particularly when I can help spread a little holiday cheer.

We thank the Garden Club for their decades-long support, and for making the holidays more cheerful for our Meals on Wheels client. We also thank all our dedicated volunteers for their ongoing support! If you have thought about volunteering with Meals on Wheels, but were concerned about a lack of a personal vehicle, consider lending a hand with our MODO account! 

Meals on Wheels, operated by the Health and Home Care Society of BC (also known as “Care BC”), has served the community since 1967. We deliver to homebound seniors at risk of isolation across Vancouver and Richmond every weekday. In 1996, we launched a Chinese Meals on Wheels service to meet the changing needs of the area. Last year, our Western and Chinese Meals on Wheels programs combined delivered more than 126,000 meals!