Visiting Nurse Association Meals on Wheels Volunteers Deliver 4,500 Meals in Dallas County

For the first time, Manuel Reyes volunteered for Visiting Nurse Association Meals on Wheels for its Christmas delivery event.

“I retired 5 months ago and I wanted to do something meaningful to help people in the Mesquite area, and I’ve always wanted to do this. I see it on TV all the time and I wanted to help,” said volunteer Manuel Reyes.

Delivering meals at this time of year is a holiday tradition for Craig Spamer.

“All it takes is to do it once to do it all of the time,” said Craig Spamer. 

It takes about 600 volunteers, to bring 4,500 meals and gift bags on about 300 routes.

The meals are packed in large coolers.

Chris Culak, the Vice President and Chief of Strategy and Development of the VNA said while a few volunteers canceled, others quickly jumped in to help fill the need.

“At Thanksgiving, it was pouring down rain. Same thing. People came and delivered. People really enjoy doing this.  And it really is delivering that meal, but it’s the knock on the door that allows us to check on our clients and make sure they are doing okay, and when its 11 degrees out it is a perfect day for people to come out and do that for us,” Culak.

Volunteers we spoke to didn’t hesitate to help in the cold.

“Didn’t matter. We were coming. We had already decided that we were going to come, we’d signed up, we’re owning it, we were going to do what it took. My husband even said, ‘If well, if we don’t do it, they won’t get their food,” said Karen Jefferson.

Friday 4,500 meals were delivered, but throughout the year, VNA Meals on Wheels delivers more than 1 million meals.