Volunteers Deliver More than Just Meals

Spending a few hours each month as a volunteer for a worthy community organization is not only a way to make your community a little better – it makes you feel good too. One effort that a lot of Primerica Home Office employees have been giving their time to is the Gwinnett County Senior Services’ Meals on Wheels program.

Run by a handful of staff, the program feeds 400 seniors in their homes each day and serves another 125 in county-run senior centers. There is no way the senior services staff could deliver all the meals themselves – so volunteers are crucial to the program.

Ray Nelms, in the financial systems department, has been volunteering since 1992 when Primerica partnered with Senior Services! Under the program, each volunteer can take an hour or so from his or her workday once a month to deliver meals. “It’s a rewarding thing to get out and see the people who you get to know on your delivery route,” says Ray. “Most of these older folks don’t have a lot of outside contacts – they may not even hear from family members. As a Meals on Wheels volunteer, you are a connection to the outside world for them. They become your extended family. Sure, you’re delivering a hot meal but checking in on people and giving them a smile are important too.”