TRUMBULL COUNTY Director: Agency keeps us mobile

Trumbull Mobile Meals celebrates its 32nd year this month.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Sandee Mathews is convinced she and a host of volunteers couldn't make things happen if it weren't for United Way.
"They are a major funding source for us," said Mathews, executive director for Trumbull Mobile Meals, 210 High St. N.W., Warren.
United Way funds cover about 12 percent of the annual budget for Trumbull Mobile Meals, an agency that provides hot meals to county residents every weekday.
Since its inception in November 1970, Trumbull Mobile Meals has provided a hot, ready-to-eat mid-day meal for a fee to anyone in need. A strong emphasis is placed on seniors in the county, who may not otherwise have a nutritious meal, or even contact with anyone from the community, Mathews said.
"For some of our clients, the only people they ever see are our volunteers," she said.
Meals are delivered Mondays through Fridays to anyone deemed in need of the service, Mathews said.
"For example, we may have someone who is newly diagnosed with diabetes," she said. "They may not know what types of food to eat or what portion sizes to eat. They can sign up for our service for a temporary amount of time so they can see how they need to eat now."
Meals are delivered throughout the county, except in Lordstown, Hartville, Hubbard and North Bloomfield. Mathews said it's not that Trumbull Mobile Meals won't deliver to clients in those areas, but simply that it does not have the volunteer network in those areas.
"We have a really strong need for drivers in those areas, and in Liberty, Newton Falls and Cortland," she said. "We are starting to lose many of our volunteers -- some of them have been with us for the past 32 years -- to attrition and age."
What volunteers do
Currently a volunteer staff of about 550 people take turns driving one day a week or one day every other week, delivering 350 to 400 meals to more than 210 clients, Mathews said. With 26 routes served by Trumbull Mobile Meals, more than 50 volunteers serve every day.
"It's an instant gratification volunteer program," Mathews said. "This is something where you can volunteer, and see immediately the good that you are doing for the people in the community."
The program can supply meals in different dietary styles -- like regular, bland, no sugar and so on -- to serve as many clients as possible, Mathews said.
Some clients will receive two meals -- the traditional hot meal and a sack lunch that features a sandwich, a vegetable, a beverage and more -- for an additional fee.
All of the meals are designed by dietitians at Forum Health, Mathews said. "Some of our clients tell us the meals are too much food for them, but we try to stress how important it is to eat a little bit of everything so they stay nutritionally balanced."
Mathews said Trumbull Mobile Meals is a "true volunteer agency" in the sense that there are only 10 people who work for the agency, and she is the only full-time staff member. A small portion of funds the program receives from United Way are used for administrative costs, but the bulk of the funding is used to provide a sliding-scale fee for meals to those in need.
"We really couldn't do this without" United Way, she said.
For information on Trumbull Mobile Meals, call (330) 394-2538.
slshaulis@vindy.com