In the fall of 2020, Jaime Aronson was scrolling through her daughter’s elementary school Facebook page. As soon as she saw the post for VNA’s request for Holiday Meal delivery drivers, she immediately signed her family up to volunteer. 

Since that first Thanksgiving delivery, Jaime, a marketing executive and her husband Andy, an insurance agent, along with their daughters Cassidy, 11 and Sami, 9, have delivered dozens of routes for VNA Meals on Wheels.   

Jaime admits that at first, the girls didn’t really understand what they were doing or why it was important. However, after they had delivered a few times, questions such as ‘Why does she have a hole in her shoe?’ and ‘Why is her yard so dirty?’ started popping up. “We explained to them how important it was to give back to those who might not have as much,” Jaime says. “And that giving back could mean a meal, a smile or just a friendly conversation.”

After a few months of delivering, Jaime asked Karri Hopper, Meals on Wheels Engagement Coordinator, what else she and her family could do as volunteers. Karri mentioned the Pet Care Program and that’s all it took to hook Jaime. The family lovingly call their home a zoo—as they have three rescue dogs of their own and are active in dog rescue as well.  

Because the Pet Care Program delivers on Saturday, it was a great opportunity for Andy to get more involved as he didn’t have to take off work. Now that his time is more flexible, he’s able to join the family on additional Meals on Wheels routes. The girls love it when they have the chance to meet the clients’ pets.

When asked what they like most about delivering for Meals on Wheels and the Pet Care Program, Sami says “I’m just happy to help.” Cassidy says “I’ve learned that sometimes people need help to feed themselves or their pets. Sometimes it’s sad, but I’m happy I can help them.”

For Meals on Wheels volunteer Lynn Corsetti, a dose of humor in the form of joke telling is all part of the meal delivery experience.

“I have one client who is going to be 88 in the fall. She stands on her porch to tell me jokes every Monday and another couple on Tuesdays who do the same thing! They are just the sweetest couple,” she says.

Lynn, a retired lab technologist, began volunteering nearly six years ago. “We moved from Missouri, found out about Meals on Wheels, went to a training with Inga (Inga Wilson, VNA’s Managing Director of Meals on Wheels and Population Health) at the Haggerty Kitchen and here I am,” she says.  Her husband Emilio also delivers when his schedule permits.

In addition to her weekly routes, Lynn delivers pet food once a month through VNA’s Pet Care Program. She realized very quickly how important clients’ pets are to their well-being and how much they mean to them.  “They are their companions. They have sacrificed so much to ensure their care,” she says. The monthly deliveries of pet food, toys, and other items help offset the cost of caring for these very important family members.

Lynn says many of her clients have become like family to her. “Some of them have been with me since I started volunteering. I just love it. VNA Meals on Wheels is a great organization. I recommend it to everyone.”

Click here to donate cat food through the VNA Amazon Wishlist.

For more information about volunteering for our Meals on Wheels program or for our Pet Care Program please contact the Volunteer Team at volunteer@vnatexas.org or 214-689-3222.

Do you have an hour to spare during the week this summer to deliver meals to our homebound senior neighbors? Our high-need delivery areas where we have a shortage of volunteers are Grand Prairie, Irving, Mesquite, Richardson, and West Dallas. If you have availability, please consider signing up today for a recurring route or a one-time delivery that meets your needs in the volunteer portal https://volunteer.vnatexas.org/landing.

Feel free to reach out to one of our volunteer coordinators if you have questions or need assistance:

Karri Hopper: hopperk@vnatexas.org; (214) 689-2209

Jennifer De La Rosa: jennifer.delarosa@vnatexas.org; (214) 689-2464

You may also call the Volunteer Line at 214-689-3222 for assistance.

You can go to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and download the new version. 

If you need assistance with updating your mobile app, please contact our Volunteer Team at 214-689-3222.

We continue to work to provide additional resources for our VNA Meals on Wheels clients. Currently, we are out of stock on the following high-need items for our clients.  Please consider donating one of these items today to fulfill outstanding requests from our clients:

• Women’s Depends (Medium, Large, and XL)
• Men’s Depends (XL)
• Bedliners (All sizes)

Please consider purchasing one of our high-need items from our Amazon Wish List link below. These items will be sent directly to our Haggerty Kitchen and delivered to our senior clients.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3GBNVME3ZHD2U?ref_=wl_dp_view_your_list

Karri, Tracie, Khan Dang (summer intern), Jennifer, and Miriah

We are always happy to hear from you and are here to help make your volunteer experience better! Thank you so much for choosing VNA Meals on Wheels!

Tracie Demery, Volunteer Engagement Supervisor

demeryt@vnatexas.org, (214) 689-2653

Karri Hopper, Volunteer Engagement Coordinator

hopperk@vnatexas.org, (214) 689-2209

Miriah Leddy, Volunteer Engagement Coordinator

miriah.leddy@vnatexas.org, (214) 689-2233

Jennifer De La Rosa, Volunteer Engagement Coordinator

jennifer.delarosa@vnatexas.org, (214) 689-2464

April Burns, System Support Analyst

burnsa@vnatexas.org, (214) 689-3220    

© VNATexas.org
1420 W. Mockingbird Ln., Suite 700, Dallas, TX 75247

VNA offers Meals on Wheels in Dallas County, and VNA Hospice Care and Palliative Care in Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Henderson, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman,
Navarro, Rockwall, Tarrant, Van Zandt and Wise Counties.

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