By Sophie Pappas
Ginny Caltrider, of Zionsville, knows a thing or two about giving back to her community. For 36 years she has volunteered with the Zionsville Meals on Wheels group, helping to serve meals to shut-ins and the elderly around town.
These days, she can be found balancing the books for the organization and making sure the drivers who deliver meals stay on top of turning in their receipts.
“It isn’t hard but it is important,” Caltrider said.
Earlier this month, Zionsville Meals on Wheels met in the community room of the Zionsville Town Hall to discuss the year’s successes and shortcomings.
Pat Mundy, who has co-directed Meals on Wheels with her husband and town councilman Steve Mundy since 2009, led the meeting.
Pat said Zionsville Meals on Wheels has more than 40 volunteer drivers and currently delivers meals to seven people.
“We’ve had as many as 14 (people receiving meals),” she said. “But the number fluctuates.”
All of the meals are purchased from the Hearth at Tudor Gardens senior-living facility on Michigan Road, then sold and delivered to the meal recipients for a cost of $3.50 per day, or $17.50 per week.
“It is just one hot meal a day that they can count on,” Pat said.
Pat said this is an ideal service for the elderly who have a difficult time making their way around the kitchen. Many times, Pat coordinates these meal deliveries with the meal recipients’ loved ones who may or may not live nearby.
“A lot of people don’t realize that there really are people in Zionsville who need us,” Pat said.
In the event that a recipient doesn’t come to the door when their meal is delivered between 11:30 a.m. and noon, Pat takes it upon herself to make sure everything is OK.
“It’s more than delivering a meal,” she said. “We want to make sure they’re doing OK. A lot of time this is the only interaction they have all day.”
To learn more about Meals on Wheels, visit the group’s new website: www.zionsvillemealsonwheels.org.
