There are few requirements for volunteering with Meals on Wheels. We do require a background check for all of our volunteers; this ensures the safety of our seniors and staff members. Beyond the background check, our partners may have other requirements, such as an application.

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.

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.

All volunteers are trained to notify their main office in case of an emergency. Unfortunately, emergencies can happen, especially when operating a vehicle and interacting with our elderly clients.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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