
● Meals on wheels in Charlotte-Mecklenburg ●
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Friendship Trays
2401-A Distribution St.
Charlotte, NC 28203
V: 704-333-9229 F: 704-333-5947
Delivering, in a caring and friendly manner, balanced meals to individuals in this community who are unable, because of age or infirmity, to obtain and prepare their own meal.
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NEW!: Afternoon volunteer work opportunities
A number of changes at Friendship Trays have combined to create some new early-afternoon volunteer opportunities at Friendship Trays. And we'd like you to know about them.
We're inviting volunteers to join us from 1 p.m. to about 3 p.m. to package and bag up trays that leave South End for satellite delivery sites early the next morning. The jobs are flexible, so if you could work one hour but not the other on one day or another, we'd like to hear from you.
Early
in the afternoon, volunteers will work with staff in the kitchen to
package salads, fruits, breads and the like in light-colored paper
trays. Once filled, the trays are sealed in plastic, as in the photo of
the bread, crackers, strawberries and blueberries at right.
After about 150 trays are prepared, volunteers will work in the foyer to prepare food bags for routes. The task involves filling an insulated bag with the trays and beverages specified on a route sheet. Attention to detail is vital in this job -- volunteer drivers in the field must have the correct number and kinds of meals to complete deliveries.
Interested in working toward a good cause? Interested in detail? Call Volunteer Coordinator Lani Lawrence at 704-333-9229 to tell us when you can help. Or hou can e-mail her.
These early-afternoon
volunteer slots have emerged from an evolutionary change inspired by the
need to save gasoline.
About a quarter of the meals delivered to area households each midday are picked up by route drivers at seven satellite sites across Mecklenburg County. Those sites are nearer to the drivers and to the recipients, cutting the distances that volunteers must drive. Bags for those routes are prepared in the afternoon, then refrigerated until early morning when volunteers or staff drive the bags to the satellite sites.
If you could help us an hour a week or two hours every two weeks or whatever, please give Volunteer Coordinator Lani Lawrence a call at 704-333-9229 as we make up a master schedule of volunteers to help produce meals each weekday afternoon.
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July 26, 2010
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Keeping trays cool this summer

July 20, 2010
Volunteer drivers: If you haven't driven a route since June 30, join us in South End and get acclimated to a couple of changes. We're sending all trays out in insulated bags. And inside each insulated bag or cooler is one big ice pack or several smaller ones. Both changes are designed to keep the refrigerated trays (above) cool until they reach each recipient.
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