Here we are, already nearly at the end of another year! I look forward to enjoying Christmas with family, but I’m already looking ahead to 2023. As a person who loves change and embraces new things, I look forward to the beginning of every new day, week, and year as the start of something fun and exciting. People who receive emails from me will attest that I frequently end my message with Happy Wednesday, or Happy New Week (on Mondays), or Happy New Month. And now we’re almost ready for a new year!
Like every year, there may be changes big or small ahead of us in 2023, and Meals on Wheels will be experiencing lots of fun, new things, just one of which is a change in our leadership. Cara Hernandez is currently working as our Associate Meals on Wheels Director, learning how and why we currently do things the way we do. In February, Cara will assume full responsibility as the new Director of Nutrition Services. She brings wonderful energy, ideas, and common sense to the position, and we are certain that she will lead the program to a great successes in the future. She’s already looking ahead for ways to enhance and improve service for our seniors and our community.
As we look forward to new changes, I also think it’s important to thank our wonderful staff and volunteers who have accomplished so much in 2022. By the end of 2022, we will have served about 210,000 meals to 2,000 seniors! Every one of those meals has been prepared and packaged in our Meals on Wheels central kitchen, an incredibly busy place! Our entire program is filled with busy, hard-working folks who all dedicate their time and energy to serving seniors, in a variety of capacities, performing a an overflowing sleighful of tasks:
- Paperwork has to be completed for every client, whether they eat at a dining center or have their meals delivered to their homes.
- Volunteers have to go through background checks and orientations.
- Administrators write grant requests and reports.
- Our Human Resources and Finance teams make sure that staff gets paid and that we follow all the boring rules.
- Volunteers help with nearly every phase of meal preparation, service, & delivery.
As I finish my final December as a Meals on Wheels employee and look ahead to life changes, I want to wish everyone in our Meals on Wheels family a new year filled with happiness, good health, and wonderful changes. Happy Holidays!
