Dec 5, 2017 5 min read

Meals on Wheels of Peters Township was founded in November 1974 by a group of women from several local churches. One inspiration was a local doctor who was concerned about patients coming home from the hospital with no one to help prepare their meals. A cook was hired, and each church was responsible for providing volunteers to serve as helpers and drivers for one day a week.

They began serving a small number of clients, and today, they serve between 160 to 180 meals per day. We sat down with Susan Hanawalt, the director of Meals on Wheels of Peters Township, to talk about the organization, its new space and how to get involved.

How did you get your start with Meals on Wheels of Peters Township?

I joined Meals on Wheels as a driver in the late 1980s, after reading an article in The Advertiser asking for more volunteers. At that point, there were three driver routes and about 30 clients in all. Pretty soon after, the driver coordinator left to take care of her grandchildren, and I took on that job, and then eventually the director’s job.

How has Meals on Wheels continued to grow?

We have put out more publicity and acquired an ever-increasing number of new clients and volunteers. We’ve moved away from the days when we were assigned to churches, and welcomed all volunteers for all jobs and all days.

Our number of clients rose to close to 100 in the early 2000s, and we realized we needed to find a larger kitchen. In 2007, we learned that the Peters Township Fire Department was looking for a tenant for their under used social hall; negotiations resulted in a 10-year lease for that large space. The CentiMark Foundation donated the funds for a major overhaul that resulted in a large, beautiful kitchen. After a year of renovation, we moved the kitchen there in January 2009. Our numbers really took off, and we expanded service to all the communities around the kitchen. As our 10 years came to an end, we were reaching more than 200 clients a day and counted over 200 volunteers serving those clients.

As it happened, we were not able to renew the lease for this kitchen and spent most of 2016-17 searching for a new home. We finally settled on a former restaurant space in Donaldsons Crossroads Shopping Center and made the move in August 2017.

What areas does Meals on Wheels of Peters Township serve?

We deliver to a wide circle of communities: McMurray, Venetia, Canonsburg, Houston, Finleyville, Eighty Four, parts of Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair, and parts of Bridgeville and South Fayette.

What, exactly, does Meals on Wheels do/provide?

Our mission is to provide hot, nutritious meals to anyone who has trouble shopping or cooking. Our primary service is to senior citizens, but we serve others in special circumstances. We work hard to make the meals attractive and colorful. The meal plan for a hot meal includes: a tray with meat, vegetable and starch, plus a hot cup of soup, salad, dessert and milk. The cost is $5 a day. For an extra $1, we include a sandwich, juice and a cookie. We often include extra items, such as a piece of fruit or a small bag of pretzels. We can accommodate most individuals with special diets, such as chopped or pureed food or diets with no red sauce. We get rave reviews for our meals!

We also provide a short visit with our clients. Our drivers are wonderful, caring people who recognize the importance of spending a few minutes with each client. We give our clients a reason to get up in the morning.

How many employees and volunteers serve the community on behalf of Meals on Wheels of Peters Township?

We have five paid staff members: a chef, three cooks and a program coordinator who manages the driver schedule and many other jobs. I am also there every day, but I am a volunteer. I work with 10 to 12 volunteer kitchen helpers and dishwashers every morning, plus about 20 volunteer drivers every day to cover our 12 routes.

What opportunities exist for volunteers? Are there any age restrictions?

Our paid staff make most of the hot meal items, but kitchen volunteers come at around 8:15 a.m. to prepare salads, sandwiches and desserts every morning and package the meals. Driver volunteers come at 10:30 a.m. to pick up the meals for delivery. We encourage young people to help by baking cookies or cupcakes at home for us to deliver in the meals. During the summer months, high school students often volunteer with us. Community service hours can be accrued for working with us or baking for us.

We usually require students to be in high school before volunteering with us.

Do you have anything special happening for the holidays?

We hope to receive colorful cards and decorated placemats or other crafts from the schools to include with our meals. Many of our drivers drop off little gifts of cookies and such to their clients. Most of all, we deliver a great turkey dinner on Christmas Day to all the clients who will be home.

How can someone sign up to get Meals on Wheels service?

We receive many referrals from social workers at the hospitals or home-care companies. Individuals also call us directly. We can deliver every weekday, or less often if preferred. We can start service the next day after the call.

How can people get more information about volunteer opportunities?

Call us at 724-969-1000.