TAMPA, Fla. – With hurricane season already underway, Meals on Wheels of Tampa is making sure vulnerable seniors have their hurricane kits.
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Meals on Wheels
What we know:
Nearly 1,000 bags of lifesaving items were distributed by a fleet of drivers on Saturday to the elderly and the sick.
Volunteer Dornita Rodgers, who drove hurricane kits to over a dozen seniors, knows what it’s like to be worried about an elderly relative with a storm on the way.
“We deal more with tornadoes in Arkansas than hurricanes, but I moved here to go to college years ago and ended up staying,” she said.
Hurricane preparedness
Dig deeper:
Even though Rodger’s grandmother is gone now, she’s doing her best to make sure other people’s grandmothers are as safe as possible.
“I think it’s very important for the community, for those of us who have the heart and the capacity to get out and help do things like this to meet those needs,” said Rodgers.
Each pack has five meals, water, a flashlight and information on where shelters are and when to evacuate.
“We’re all told to go out and prepare and get ready for an oncoming storm,” said Cindy Van of Meals on Wheels. “When you can’t get out your home for whatever reason, you’re frightened.”
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Van says the bags provide goods, along with peace of mind.
“If you’re not there with them, you just don’t know where to turn,” said Ida Pagan of Meals on Wheels. “So it’s super stressful, the anxiety is high and so, just again to know that they have something just in case is really helpful.”
The backstory:
Meals on Wheels of Tampa offers more than 100 routes on a daily basis, serving more than 1,000 meals a day.
They say Hurricane Irma in 2017 was a turning point for them, when they realized how quickly the food supply system could be turned on its head.
“When that volunteer is unable to get to your home for whatever reason,” said Van, “be it our office is closed or they’re unable to get out there, they’re alone.”
What’s next:
They’ve renewed their focus on getting up and running as fast as possible after a storm.
That’s a skill volunteers like Dornita hope they don’t need too soon.
“A lot of elderly people don’t have the surroundings of loved ones to constantly help meet those as you age,” said Rodgers
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Meals on Wheels of Tampa can be found here.
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