David Vaughan accepted the Corporate Partner award from Meals Wheels of Metro Tulsa Board President John Staedke.
It was a moving evening for a capacity crowd at the Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa’s Annual “Keep Em Rolling” benefit at the Tulsa Country Club.
Volunteers from Apache Corporation, The F&M Bank and Trust, Redlee Company, Samson, Vaughan Insurance, and Williams earned standing ovations for delivering meals to some of the neediest and most vulnerable homebound people in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks, and Glenpool.
“These companies have created a partnership with us. We want to thank them for helping us to continue to keep our wheels rolling and delivering meals to the homebound,” explains Cathy Perlingiere, director of Volunteer Services. “The delivery volunteer is a link with the world outside the front door. A warm smile and friendly greeting can be as important as the meal itself.”
Vaughan Insurance started volunteering 7 years ago. David has been active with the Tulsa area Meals on Wheels association for the last three years. Two of the years he served as President-Elect. In January 2012 he began his term as president of the board of directors for Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa is a nonprofit community service organization operated by volunteers and funded by charitable contributions. Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa provides the following to elderly and/or disabled persons who are homebound:
- Home-delivery of hot, nutritious lunchtime meals;
- Diabetic, Low Sodium and Vegetarian diet meal options are available for those who desire them;
- Frozen meals for non-delivery days are available in most areas, and “blizzard bags” are delivered for snow-day emergencies;
- Volunteers also bring daily caring contact, friendship, and security.
We offer meal delivery Monday through Friday in most areas. We provide the service in the Tulsa metropolitan area, including the communities of Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks, and Glenpool. Using 13 geographically based serving units* and a faithful corps of about 2,300 volunteers, Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa delivers about 5,000 meals a week to the homebound. We will serve at least 1,500 people during the year. Approximately 140 congregations, along with several civic groups, and a dozen businesses are involved by providing volunteers for the program.
Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa is the oldest and one of the largest programs for home-delivered meals in Oklahoma. There are no constraining guidelines on age, or income. To qualify for service, the person must be homebound, disabled, or unable to make meals. Typically they serve frail elderly persons, but also serve many others who simply need temporary help to get back on their feet.
The meals are paid for almost entirely through private sources. Donations are requested from recipients as they can afford to contribute. Gifts from churches, community groups, businesses, foundations, and concerned individuals make up the difference. Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa relies solely upon private contributions without funding from the government or the United Way.
With 2,300 volunteers they are one of the largest volunteer agencies in the Tulsa community. Most donate only about 2 hours per week to package the food at church sites, to deliver meals using their own vehicles, to coordinate the deliveries, to answer phones at the office, or to do other specialized tasks. Many volunteers come to them through their participating churches. About 140 congregations of varying theological backgrounds now share in the work of Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa. A number of businesses also participate through “Make It Your Business” which allows interested employees to use their lunch hour to deliver meals for the program.
Since 1970 Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa has been an effective means of keeping down community health costs and reducing the need for nursing home care. By providing nutritional and friendship support, Meals on Wheels improves the health, independence, dignity, and well-being of frail elderly and disabled citizens, and enhances the quality of life for the entire community.
