DAYTON — Some local organizations that help the most vulnerable in the Miami Valley are already making plans ahead of the winter storm forecasted this weekend.
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On Friday, Meals on Wheels distributed “shelf meals,” pantry-safe and non-refrigerated items, ready to eat if the power goes out.
“We try, strive to be open all of the time,” Samantha Asher, Senior Resource Connection for Meals on Wheels, said. “Unfortunately, sometimes that just can’t happen because the safety of our drivers is also a concern, so we make sure that we provide what we can in case we can’t be there the day of so nobody goes to bed hungry.”
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For many of the drivers, deliveries go well beyond just dropping off meals. It’s making sure their clients are prepared in times of need and uncertainty.
“I cannot tell you how much the bond between the driver and the client is,” Asher said. “They view them as friends, so seeing them every day, knowing that they care, getting them the extra food, making sure that they’re OK day-to-day. That you just can’t, you just can’t put a name on that or anything.”
As of now, the drivers will deliver one of the shelf meals to each client to cover one day. That plan will be revisited if the storm poses a bigger issue than expected.
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