Area agencies that help other people are always fighting for dollars.

But one Blount county agency that delivers hot meals to the elderly and home bound is in need of manpower.

The Blount county Community Action Agency's Senior Nutrition Program serves up more than a hundred meals every weekday for the county's elderly and home bound.

It costs a lot to run the program and the agency is in need of more than money.

"Many times we'll have people that need the meals but we don't have enough people to run the routes," says Nancy Sentell, the executive director of the Blount county Community Action Agency.

Colleen Brzuchalski heads up the Senior Nutrition Program. With 35 routes to cover every week, three people on medical leave, and others filling double routes, she's now a volunteer as well.

"That's where the backup volunteers would come in handy to cover those routes while they're on medical leave," says Brzuchalski.

Besides bringing people a hot meal, the volunteers also serve as a person who can keep an eye on a senior citizen who may not have anyone else to watch after them.

"We have found clients who have fallen and were not able to get to a phone," says Brzuchalski.

So with a dwindling list of volunteers, the program is considering putting people on a waiting list.

"I think we're beginning to do that right now because some of the people that we have are in remote areas and we might be able to serve them once a week," says Sentell.

That means one hot meal and four frozen meals and four days when no one can check up on them.
So Colleen is hoping some special people in the community will consider being a backup volunteer.

"There's a certain something that they have in their hearts that makes them want to do this," says Brzuchalski.

Colleen is hoping she can find at least five people to serve as backup volunteers and she says they'll work with your schedule.

If you would like to help, you can contact the program at the Blount county community action agency by calling 983-8411 extension number 27.