Volunteer home delivered meals drivers wanted

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Office for the Aging (OFA) was providing daily midday meals to 130 seniors at OFA’s eight Senior Friendship Centers (with one in Millerton and one in Amenia), and delivering another 300 meals to homebound seniors throughout Dutchess County. Those numbers skyrocketed when the pandemic began — and OFA volunteer drivers of all ages stepped forward to meet that demand.

With cases once again increasing, we’re looking for more volunteer drivers with that same spirit. Since the course of the pandemic for this fall is difficult to predict, now would be an excellent time to step up and help OFA prepare for whatever comes. 

If you are available to volunteer during middays on weekdays, OFA Home Delivered Meals volunteering is a perfect fit for your schedule. We work around your availability. If you can volunteer every weekday, great. If you can only volunteer occasionally, or you prefer to volunteer in a region you’re familiar with, we can still use you. If you’d like to help rural homebound seniors while enjoying a drive through the countryside, we can certainly use you. Reimbursement is available for volunteer drivers who use their own vehicles.

A printable volunteering form and brochure is available at www.dutchessny.gov/aging, or can be mailed to you by calling 845-486-2544.

Medicare & transportation volunteer opportunities

With the annual Medicare open enrollment season beginning Oct. 15, OFA is looking for volunteer counselors for HIICAP — our Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program. We provide the training, along with updates as needed. 

OFA assists four other Dutchess County organizations that provide transportation help for seniors, as well as other volunteer services. There are opportunities here that may be a good geographic match for those of you living in rural Dutchess County, especially east of the Taconic Parkway. You can contact these organizations directly with inquiries.

• Friends of Seniors: www.friendsofseniors.org, 845-485-1277

• North East Community Center: www.neccmillerton.org, 518-789-5249 (northeastern Dutchess)

• Pawling Resource Center: www.pawlingresourcecenter.org, 845-855-3459 (Pawling/Holmes area)

• Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP); (volunteers age 55+) www.dutchesscap.org, 845-452-5104

OFA newsletters are available at www.dutchessny.gov/aging, but if you’re not online and want to get on our mailing list, call the Office for the Aging and we’ll get you added in time for the fall mailings. We also distribute OFA newsletters to public libraries throughout the county.

Golden Living is prepared by Dutchess County OFA Director Todd N. Tancredi, who can be reached at 845-486-2555, ofa@dutchessny.gov or via the OFA website at www.dutchessny.gov/aging.