Jewish Family Service LA’s Senior Nutrition Program is in urgent need of volunteers who can help deliver meals to homebound seniors in Culver City. Jewish Family Service LA (JFSLA) is a comprehensive network of social services that provides thousands of people in Los Angeles, of all ages and backgrounds, with resources and support to navigate through challenges and transitions in their lives. JFSLA’s Senior Nutrition Program provides seniors and people with disabilities with free meals through the Senior Nutrition Program’s home delivery service and senior dining centers. Last year, the program provided nearly 225,000 meals to over 2,400 individuals.
“The Senior Nutrition Program urgently needs the help of volunteers who can help us deliver weekly meals to homebound clients,” said Stratton Harrison, Congregate Meal Site Supervisor. “These clients are older individuals who are experiencing food insecurity and are not able to leave their home. Our clients depend on our program for food as some of them can’t prepare meals on their own, and we depend on our volunteers (to deliver these meals).”
JFSLA’s services would not be possible without the help of volunteers. The Senior Nutrition Program serves 25 homebound clients on a weekly basis in Culver City alone. Volunteers who have an eligible driver’s license will pick up the meals at the Culver City Senior Center, located at 4095 Overland Avenue, and deliver meals to up to 5 clients who live around the area. The Senior Nutrition Program provides the volunteers with the most conveniently grouped delivery routes for drivers to use the least mileage possible. Drivers will need to have some free storage space in their vehicles to load the meals as each client receives seven lunches for an entire week including fruits and vegetables. Volunteers are needed on Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon.
“When you walk up to the door of a client and greet them as you deliver their meals, you will see a tremendous smile of gratitude on their faces,” said Stratton Harrison. “I’ve spoken to some of our Culver City clients, and they are so appreciative towards our program and the volunteers who help us ensure that they will not go hungry.”
The Culver City Senior Center senior dining center is JFSLA’s biggest meal site, where nearly 100 meals are served daily throughout the week. As the Senior Nutrition Program transitions into a restaurant style of serving hot meals, they will need more volunteers who can help serve the lunches to clients. If you are interested in volunteering at Jewish Family Service LA, please contact Joyce Williams, JFSLA’s Director of Volunteers and Training, at jmwilliams@jfsla.org or 323-556-2828.
Submitted by Michael Sidman, Director of Communications