Brothers-in-law Charlie Neff and Mike Sensenig both volunteer delivering meals with Meals on Wheels in the Pequea Valley area. Mike is retired, and he and his wife, Deb, handle the Paradise-Strasburg route every other Friday. Deb drives, and Mike runs the meals from the car to the recipients.

Charlie is not retired. He works his farm, helps his wife run a bed-and-breakfast, and owns a water service company, but he still finds time to do the Paradise-Strasburg Meals on Wheels route every other Monday by himself. "I thought I could work that (volunteer time) in," shared Charlie. "An hour-and-a-half or two hours could fit into my schedule."

Both volunteers work with Marie Glass, Paradise point person for Lancaster Meals on Wheels. In her role, Glass, who has been involved with the program for more than a decade, coordinates the Paradise program with Lancaster Meals on Wheels, which serves about 1,000 recipients per year. Meals provided by the Lancaster program are delivered to the Together Community Center (TCC), 3293 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise, each Monday through Friday. One hot meal and one cold meal are included each weekday for each of up to 30 clients.

Meals are provided for a nominal fee. Clients receive five ounces of meat, five ounces of starch, along with vegetables each day, and meals are available for recipients who need to follow a customized diet, including those on low-sodium, diabetic, low vitamin K, vegetarian, and gluten-free diets, as well as soft diets, puree diets, and others. Hot meals may include ham and pineapple gravy or a shrimp dish, while cold meals may include a turkey and cheddar or other type of sandwich. Salads are sometimes served in lieu of sandwiches.

Mike said that when he first began volunteering in 2019, the cold meals were still made in the basement of the Leacock Presbyterian Church. "That interaction was kind of neat," recalled Mike. "It was very organized and coordinated, and it was fun." Mike also remembered that there was more interaction between drivers and meal recipients prior to the advent of COVID-19, and he misses that.

Currently, the Paradise organization could use a few volunteer drivers. Charlie said that he sees the effort as an opportunity to give back to the community. "Marie had signs up that she needed drivers," noted Charlie, who began driving for Meals on Wheels in 2015. "My parents had been involved in Meals on Wheels," he pointed out noting that his mother, Ellen, was a coordinator for the organization. "She interviewed people when they signed up to see what their needs were," said Charlie. His father was an alternate driver. "He was a last-minute call (volunteer)," said Charlie, adding that his father worked on the family farm as well. Although Charlie tries to switch with the other Monday driver when he needs a day off, he knows that having substitutes available is essential to helping senior residents as well as others recovering from illnesses to remain in their own homes.

Those who wish to help deliver meals or who would like to receive meals may call 717-392-4842. More information about Meals on Wheels Lancaster may be found at http://www.MealsOnWheelsofLancaster.org.