One of the volunteer drivers with the BRMC Meals on Wheels remembers delivering to a man who had fallen on the floor, while another recalls finding a recipient in need of medical care.

Officials with the program, facilitated by Bradford Regional Medical Center, said examples such as these reveal a service that not only provides nutritious meals to recipients, but also makes sure they are safe and secure in their homes.

Jessica Jarrett-McKeirnan, BRMC Meals on Wheels program coordinator, said the organization currently delivers 40 meals a day to recipients, or over 1,000 a month, but has room for more participants. She said additional drivers are also needed for the program.

Jarrett-McKeirnan said she has heard that some area residents mistakenly believe the program isn’t operating due to fewer drivers.

“We’re in pretty good shape and have never turned down meal service because of lack of drivers,” she said, noting she also delivers meals as needed. “We’ve been here almost six months at the hospital already.”

The 46-year-old program was originally operated by the American Red Cross in Bradford. It had been operated by the YWCA Bradford for six years prior to its move to the medical center in March. The hospital contracts with the Aramark food service company which oversees Meals on Wheels. All meals are currently prepared in the hospital kitchen and served in a sealed container with reheating instructions.

Also assisting with Meals on Wheels are employees from Pathstone, a work program for senior citizens. Jarrett-McKeirnan noted the program is able to operate thanks to funding provided by the United Way of the Bradford Area, the Blaisdell Foundation, Bradford Hospital Foundation and Aramark.

“Because of their support, the BRMC Meals on Wheels Program is able to meet the needs of our community who might otherwise go without,” she said. “We are the only (Meals on Wheels) locally not funded by the government.”

Along those lines, people interested in obtaining Meals on Wheels need only call Jarrett-McKeirnan to set up a schedule for delivery. Payments for the meals start at $3.98, but can be adjusted and dropped through a sliding scale fee depending on the recipient’s income.

She said volunteer drivers can also provide background check information through a telephone call to her or Stacy Williams, director of volunteer services at the hospital.

On a related note, Jarrett-McKeirnan said she likes to deliver meals because it enables her to meet the recipients.

“I enjoy going out because it puts a face with a name,” she explained. “The meal is kind of secondary when you’re dealing with a shut-in. This way, the family knows they are safe and secure.”

Volunteer drivers with the program include Bill Walb, who has delivered meals for approximately

30 years. He and his wife, Marlene, now deliver meals every Wednesday.

“I think all of the drivers like this program, it’s a big improvement,” Walb said of the BRMC location. “It’s a thousand percent better.”

He said the meals are taken upstairs from the hospital kitchen to the emergency room entrance on Interstate Parkway. Drivers can park nearby, walk in and pick the meals up from an individual at the entrance.

Walb believes he has been appreciated by meal recipients over the years, which makes his volunteer work worthwhile. One time he found an elderly man who had fallen on the floor and couldn’t make it from the bathroom to his bedroom. Walb summoned help to get the man off the floor and back to his bedroom.

“I liked the guy” and was glad to help him, Walb added.

For more information on signing up for meals, or volunteering, call Jarrett-McKeirnan at 362-8254.