Volunteer
We Can’t Do It Without You
When you volunteer for Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa, you directly benefit the seniors of the community in meaningful, impactful ways that makes a difference in their lives.
Volunteer with Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa
Volunteering your time for Meals on Wheels and our partners means helping seniors in our community. Your time directly helps put food on a senior’s table or provides a wellness check for another senior. Volunteering your time is more than just a time commitment to do something good: your time is directly benefiting the community you live in.
Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa helps our neighbors through fundraising, which means that we are primarily engaged with donors and the community. Our partners, including Meals on Wheels Diablo Region, Meals on Wheels of West Contra Costa, and J-SEI, accept volunteers on a rolling basis.
What are the Benefits of Volunteering for Meals on Wheels?
There are many known benefits of volunteering; it helps you make new friends and helps out a nonprofit that is doing good work for a cause. When you volunteer for Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa and our partners you are helping isolated and homebound seniors maintain their health, dignity, and independence. It’s through our volunteers that we are able to make a difference.
Many of our volunteer positions do not require much time or training. You can give a couple of hours a week or staff an event for a day. The meal delivery driving volunteer position does require extensive training as well as a time commitment.
We currently need new volunteers to drive more than 90 local Meals on Wheels routes countywide each week.
Our Organization
Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa is a California Nonprofit Corporation recognized as a charitable organization under Section 501c(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
Fed Tax ID 68·0231350
TAX FORMS & AUDITS
2022-2023: 990 Tax Return
FYE 2023: Audit
What We Do
Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa Subsidizes the Cost of Meals for the Following Organizations:
- West County Meals on Wheels
- Meals on Wheels Diablo Region
- J-Sei
How We Help
Senior citizens aged 60 or better who are not able to care for themselves is the population we provide meals for. The average Meals on Wheels participant in Contra Costa County is 80 years old, lives alone or with a co-dependent spouse, and has one or more chronic health conditions that prevent them from preparing or shopping for nutritious daily meals. Most live below the Bay Area's basic low-income standards, and many must choose between paying for food, medicines, rent, or utilities with their meager resources. Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa must find the community resources to meet this rapidly growing need.
Thanks to generous contributions we receive from individuals like you, as well as gifts from charitable organizations, we are able to subsidize over 1.5 million nutritious meals annually; delivered to frail, nutritionally at-risk homebound elders in their residences in Contra Costa County.
Frequently Asked Questions about Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa’s Volunteer Services
What is Required to be a Volunteer?
How Long Can I Volunteer For?
In our office, you can volunteer as much or little as you are able to. We just ask that you communicate what you can and cannot do upfront so we can find the best fit.
The Meals on Wheels Diablo region office does ask for a 6-month minimum commitment, especially for delivery drivers.
How Frequently Can I Volunteer?
We encourage all potential volunteers to give the amount of time that makes the most sense to them. For some volunteers, this is many times a week, for others, it’s once every once in a while when they have some free time.
How Old Do You Have to be to Volunteer?
In our office, we encourage families to help us with our admin and fundraising positions. We generally say that anyone over the age of eight years old can participate (since most children younger would not be interested in stuffing envelopes!).
Our partners do have age restrictions, eighteen years old in the Diablo Region office and twenty-one in the West Contra Costa region.
What Kinds of Opportunities Are Offered for College Students?
Although we do not have specific positions for college students, one advantage of volunteering for Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa County is the flexibility.
In our office, we always need help with stuffing envelopes. It might not seem like it at first, but stuffing envelopes is a crucial task! All of our donation mailers, thank you letters, those imperative tax deduction letters, and any holiday-related mailings must go out in a timely manner.
Since there could be hundreds of letters at a time, we would love help from students who need to complete a certain number of hours for their community service. Stuffing envelopes is not a time-intensive task and can usually be completed while watching TV or a movie. We have volunteers who even stuff envelopes during their virtual meetings!
If you are a college student interested in being a driver, check out our partner sites. There will be age restrictions, but being a driver might be perfect for seniors or those pursuing a Master’s degree.
Do I need to Have a Working Vehicle, or Does Meals on Wheels Provide One?
There are many flexible scheduling and route options for those who are looking to provide meals to seniors!
What if there is an Emergency While I’m Driving?
The number one priority for Meals on Wheels is the volunteers’ safety!
If you are in an accident, please follow all routine procedures. In the event that you aren’t able to deliver the meals, the regional office will get a replacement driver out to you as soon as possible. We want to ensure that since we are on a once-a-week delivery schedule due to COVID, all of the meals are still delivered.
If there is an emergency with one of our seniors, which has happened before, always call 911. We ask that you stay with the senior until help can arrive. The office will also have a replacement driver out as soon as possible.
What if I Don't Want to be a Volunteer Driver?
We understand that not all volunteers can make the time commitment or cannot provide their own transportation. That’s okay, and we appreciate that you still want to volunteer! There are many other options to volunteer with us.
If you did not see a particular volunteering option that fits what you are looking for, let us know! We will work to help you support our mission through your unique skill set.
Where Can I Sign Up to Volunteer for Meals on Wheels?
Thank you for considering volunteering for Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa and our partners!
For those who would like to volunteer in our office, please call us at (866)-669-6697 or email us via our online contact form. We are entirely open to discussing volunteer options!
If you wish to be a driver or work within a specific city, contact our partners:
- There is a general contact form for the West Contra Costa Region – let them know you are interested in volunteering!
- For the Diablo Region, there is a volunteer application form you can fill out here.
- J-SEI has specific coordinators or managers involved in their volunteering operations. The emails and phone numbers can be found here.
What are Other Ways to Support Meals on Wheels?
Since Meals on Wheels is a nonprofit, we are always excited and appreciative when we receive donations!
We understand that not everyone can volunteer their time, but perhaps you can give monthly or include Meals on Wheels as part of your estate planning.
Get in Touch. Get Involved.
Contact us with the information or form below with questions about Meals on Wheels Contra Costa, or to find out more about donating.
Attention Meals on Wheels Clients and Families:
Do NOT use this contact information or form to start or stop services, or to inquire about your account. Please see the Services page of this website for the correct contact information.
Connect with Us
P.O. Box 3195 Martinez, CA 94553
1330 Arnold Drive, Suite 149, Martinez, CA 94553
Call Us:
(866) 669-6697 Toll Free