(Photo: Loaves & Fishes Center)
Loaves & Fishes Centers, “The Meals on Wheels People”, have launched a new “Meals on Two Wheels” program and they’re looking for volunteers in the Portland-Vancouver area.
Julie Piper Finley, the organization’s communications director, got in touch today to tell us about the new program. She said they’ve been delivering meals to homebound seniors throughout Multnomah, Washington and Clark counties for over 40 years using “conventional automobiles”, but beginning this month, the agency will be rounding up volunteers to deliver meals by bike.
Looking to reduce their carbon footprint, they’ve created bike routes near 20 of their 31 meal sites and they’re currently in the process of acquiring bike trailers to transport the meals.
At this time, Meals On Two Wheels routes are available at:
- Beaverton Center, located at 5550 SW Hall Blvd., Beaverton
- Elm Court Center, 1032 SW Main Street, Portland
- Fook Lok-Hollywood Center, located at 1907 NE 45th Avenue, Portland
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, located at 5325 NE MLK Blvd., Portland
If you’re interested in volunteering, all you need to do is show up with your bike. Bring a cargo trailer if you have one, but if not, the folks at Loaves & Fishes will provide one for you.
In addition to recruiting volunteers to help deliver the bike routes, the agency is seeking donations of flatbed trailers and/or donations toward the cost of purchasing trailers. A $200 donation will purchase a new trailer, safety vest and flat repair kit.
More info on how to get involved with this new program is at MealsonTwoWheels.org.
Oh, fo’ shure. $200? Flat-bed trailers are no brainers to build. Wear a big floppy, really busy sari, and a big floppy hat slung over helmet for the visibility.
Back in the 1990’s I delivered meals on wheels using a 1930 solid steel ( am brain drained on how to spell the make of bike.) Schwine Service bike. Had a large basket on the front of the bike and one on the back. This is where I placed my coolers. I remember the bike alone being made of steel weighed a ton, with the baskets it was heavy. Nice thing about it was being on a bike, I could ride right up to the person’s front door. No need to find a place to park. Also lost 10 pounds from all the excercise.
Cool! Sounds like a great way to engage new volunteers!
One of the best bike trailers is made by Bikes At Work.
Do we have somebody that makes a trailer like this in the Portland area?
Has Burley won the bike trailer market the same way Microsoft did: saturation with a product that is marginally better than what came before?
I have been a Meals on Wheels delivery driver//rider for many times. I applaud the effort to go carfree on as many routes as possible.One stumbling block has been finding volunteers who can deliver and pay for their own gas. This is harder and harder to do,so this trailer initiative is a step in the right direction.
On a larger scale: as much as the nutrition of these meals, the biggest benefit this program offers is actual face to face contact with elders and homebound folks who often find the Meals on Wheels volunteer is the only person they see that day.
So if you roll your eyes at the $200 trailer dontations, put a price tag on being that elder who gets a meal and 10 minutes of human contact. Whats that worth?
Joe, You are so right when you say that sometimes the driver was the only person the seniors would see in a day. Sadly, I saw that time and time again.