COVID-19 has changed all of our daily lives. More than 75% of our clients live alone. This has made the Wellness Check even more important to monitor physical and mental health, including social isolation, anxiety, and depression. The Wellness Check is a crucial component of our Delivering More Than a Meal program, so Meals on Wheels West is relying on our volunteers to call clients to do a virtual Wellness Check.

Call 2 homebound community members on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays, or an agreed upon schedule. The calls are done remotely, and volunteers are provided a script, guidelines, and a resource list to utilize for the calls. You will be calling the same 2 clients every week. Each call typically takes 5-10 minutes. Spanish and Farsi speaking volunteers are especially needed. To sign-up or for more info, please contact Margaret, the Community Connections Volunteer Manager at margaret@mealsonwheelswest.org or (310) 394-5133, extension 3.

Time Commitment: Community Connections is a relationship driven program that relies upon consistent bi-weekly communication between you and your assigned clients.  While the length of time commitment is less than an hour twice a week and the time of day can vary, you must commit to make your calls. Please let us know if you plan a vacation or need to take a break. Please inform Margaret at margaret@mealsonwheelswest.org or (310) 394-5133, extension 3.

To start the volunteering process, there are 3 simple steps:

1. Complete the online Community Connections Volunteer application here.
2. To complete the mandatory background check, please contact margaret@mealsonwheelswest.org or call (310) 394-5133 extension 3. The background check takes approximately 3-5 days to be completed.
3. All Friendly Calling material will be sent via email once you sign up.

What will Community Connections Friendly Calling look like?

• Calls will be on Tuesday between the hours of 10:30am-2pm and Thursday between the hours of 2-5pm or as agreed upon.
• Each volunteer will need to complete an online background check and fill out a non-disclosure agreement to protect the privacy of Meals on Wheel West clients.
• Each volunteer will receive guidelines & a sample script for the calls.
• Each volunteer will receive 2 clients to call once a week.
• Each call typically takes 5-10 minutes.

Mark Shephard from Santa Monica Rotary making his Community Connections Phone Reassurance calls to Meals on Wheels West clients.