We are thrilled to honor Meals on Wheels volunteers Juanita and Jack Ramsden with the 2025 Mary Bartholow Volunteer of the Year Award!

Juanita began delivering meals in Duncanville through Holy Spirit Catholic Church in 2008, one day after retiring from AAFES after 35 years of service. Her husband Jack retired five years later after more than 40 years as the owner of a machine shop. Together, they have faithfully delivered meals in Duncanville as part of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. They also deliver pet food in South Dallas, DeSoto, and Duncanville.

Juanita’s commitment to Meals on Wheels is personal: her mother received meals in Brownwood, and Juanita always knew that if she had the opportunity, she wanted to give back. What Juanita and Jack enjoy most is connecting with clients, whom they consider family. They cry with them, pray for them, and care deeply about their well-being.

Juanita also serves on the Volunteer Advisory Committee, supports Power of Pie pickups for Holy Spirit Catholic Church by collecting and delivering pies ordered through her and Jack, and even brings her grandchildren along to deliver meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each year, they also deliver on MLK Day at Concord Church.

For Juanita and Jack, VNA Meals on Wheels makes volunteering easy and meaningful.

Congratulations to you both!

During the month of July, we had the pleasure of welcoming volunteers from Haynes & Boone, LLP! Volunteers from the Haynes & Boone summer associate program took the time to complete a day of caring by helping deliver meals and a sense of support to our Dallas County seniors.

By partnering with us, the volunteers representing Haynes & Boone, LLP were able to make a positive impact on the Dallas County community by delivering 156 meals to our clients, equal to a cost savings of $246. Thank you again to the Haynes & Boone, LLP team for your continued support, and we look forward to hosting your team again in the future!

If you and your group are interested in partnering with VNA Meals on Wheels, please contact our Community Health & Engagement Coordinator Yakia McKinnie at yakia.mckinnie@vnatexas.org or (214) 689-2464.

If you are age 40 or younger, come connect with fellow young professionals for an evening of networking, drinks, snacks, and giving back! Join us at Haggerty Kitchen to help pack pet food for our homebound seniors’ pets. Come expand your professional network while making a direct impact on the lives of local seniors and their beloved animals!

Next Event: August 20 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

RSVP or questions? Contact McKenzie Kapperman at mckenzie.kapperman@vnatexas.org.

For the past six years, Jennifer Smith and her daughter, Avery, have volunteered together each month to deliver pet food to VNA Meals on Wheels clients and their beloved pets.

Throughout the years, clients and pets have come and gone, but one thing has remained constant: the joy Jennifer and Avery share in serving others together. Many clients have watched Avery grow up and have come to look forward to seeing her each month.

This fall, Avery will begin a new chapter as an incoming freshman at Louisiana State University. While this marks the end of a special six-year tradition for Avery and Jennifer, Jennifer will continue volunteering with the Pet Program and delivering pet food to clients.

Their story is a beautiful reminder of the impact that consistent volunteers can make. Volunteering is more than delivering pet food—it is about building relationships, creating memories, and bringing joy to seniors and their beloved pets.

You can help continue this tradition. Whether you volunteer once, monthly, with your family, or with a group, your time can make a lasting difference in the lives of our clients and their pets. Together, we can help ensure that seniors never have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding the pets they love.

You can help our senior clients keep their pets fed! Opportunities to help:

• Pet Food Pack Out – Every 3rd Thursday from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
• Pet Food Delivery – Every 3rd Saturday from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Events can be found in your volunteer portal under the calendar tab. Email volunteer@vnatexas.org for more information.

Applications for the 2026–2027 VNA Meals on Wheels Teen Board will officially open on Monday, August 17th!

If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering with Meals on Wheels’ Teen Board, helping at pet pack-outs, or delivering a pet meal, please reach out to Ryan Jackson at (469) 418-4618 or ryan.jackson@vnatexas.org or visit vnatexas.org/join-the-mission

Currently, we are out of stock on the following high-need items for our pet clients for our August pet food delivery. We currently have 165 cats and 312 dogs in our pet program. Please consider donating one of these items today to fulfill these outstanding requests from our clients:

• Dry cat food
• Wet dog & cat food

Visit our Amazon Wish List. These items will be sent directly to our VNA Haggerty Kitchen and delivered to our seniors.

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!

Karri Hopper, Volunteer Engagement Coordinator

hopperk@vnatexas.org (214) 689-2209

Yakia McKinnie, Community Health & Engagement Coordinator

yakia.mckinnie@vnatexas.org (214) 689-2464

Ryan Jackson, Corporate & Community Engagement Liaison

ryan.jackson@vnatexas.org (214) 689-2653

© VNATexas.org

1420 W. Mockingbird Ln., Suite 700, Dallas, TX 75247

Established in 1934, the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas (VNA) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization providing care to our community, enhancing health and well-being with compassion, dignity and integrity. VNA is North Texas’ most trusted provider of quality health care services in the home and is the first, most experienced Hospice Care provider in Texas. VNA offers Meals on Wheels in Dallas County, Supportive Palliative Care, and adult and pediatric Hospice Care in Collin, Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Henderson, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Rockwall, Tarrant, Van Zandt, and Wise counties. Visit www.vnatexas.org or call 214-689-0000 for more information. 

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