July 11, 2007

Friendship Trays News
Team BMW serves and delivers

On Wednesday, July 11, there were appointments with prospective BMW owners to make. And transmissions to fix. And sales calls to keep.

But for Team BMW, the day began in service to the community at Friendship Trays.
 

The kitchen was full of volunteers, and the folks from Hendrick BMW, wearing plain black knit shirts, took up their serving spoons and pitched in on the main food line, as another group of volunteers in background put bread for Thursday into individual bags.

 

 

 

 

 

Barbara Koziarz, left, was placing packaged crackers on trays. Brant Bezila served a portion of Italian green beans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Aldrich stowed finished trays into the "hot boxes" to await pickup by volunteer drivers. Aldrich allowed as how, compared with the car parts he services, the trays of food were relatively light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When all trays were filled and the kitchen work was done, the team headed to the foyer, where they signed up to volunteer another day. From left, the group included Barbara Koziarz, Judy Desmond signing, Brant Bezila and Daniel Aldrich. Volunteer coordinators use the contact information to schedule volunteers for regular delivery routes, and to contact substitutes on short notice when regular drivers are unavailable. Of the more than 80 routes, up to a quarter are "open" on any given day. Which  brings us to...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Trammel, right, was unable to arrive for kitchen duty with the rest of the Hendrick volunteers. But when he arrived, Assistant Director Donna Thrasher guided Trammel through the delivery directions for Route 33, which was open on Wednesday. Then it was out the door for Trammel to deliver meals to recipients. On this particular assignment, Trammel would be leaving Friendship Trays in South End, and delivering in neighborhoods along his route back to his worksite. Many volunteers set up their service in this way to save time and gasoline. Many other volunteers, however, agree to drive wherever there is a need on any given day.

 

What happened to the rest of the crew? They agreed to drive a route as a group, so here Thrasher points out details on a route sheet listing the addresses where they will visit.

Route sheets are printed daily, because the recipients on many routes vary from day to day. Some recipients in dialysis, for example, do not receive trays on days when they will be in treatment all day. The route sheets also give drivers detailed driving instructions from one address to the next, and any special instructions (e.g., recipient takes a long time to get to the door).

One key contribution drivers make is to call back to the Friendship Trays office when there is no cooler outside the door and the recipient does not answer the knock at the door. In those cases, office staff call the house, then an emergency contact. Over the years, drivers have often played a pivotal role in dispatching emergency assistance to recipients who have fallen or otherwise become incapacitated.

Then, for Aldrich, it was time to get in line as a distributor gathered into an insulated bag the trays to be delivered on the route the Hendrick BMW team would serve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last stop in the foyer for every driver is the drink cooler. Here, the Hendrick team consults the route sheet to pick the right number and kinds of carton drinks they will need for their route. Drinks include low-fat milk and various juices.

 

 


 

 

 

Then it's into the car to head out to serve their neighbors.

Each day brings up to 95 volunteers into Friendship Trays' South End facility.

Some bag bread or serve fresh, nutritious food into trays. Some seal the trays and stow them to keep the food warm for recipients. Some drive routes.

Some do it all.

By 1:00 or 1:30, the work is done for the day. Or almost: Most afternoons, staff and volunteers begin preparing food in the kitchen for the next day's deliveries. The cooking begins each morning about 6:30 a.m.

With hundreds of hands involved, the task of feeding about 700 people goes quickly. As one member of Hendrick BMW observed, the morning could have been just routine work. "This is more fun."

Hundreds of Charlotte residents who cannot prepare their own meals, or who need specialized diets, depend on the selflessness and dedication of Friendship Trays volunteers. They appreciate what happens when people like Team BMW steps up to serve.

You and your colleagues can be a Team in service to your neighbors. For information on how to get started at Friendship Trays, e-mail Lucy Bush Carter or call 704-333-9229.