All of us at Meals on Wheels would like to publicly say THANK YOU to Peter Smith who recently stepped down from the MOW board and his role as Chairman of the board – a position he held for the last 4 years. At the same time, we would like to welcome Jason Powell as our new Chairman. Both men exemplify what it means to volunteer – to give generously of your time and talents.
As a MOW volunteer for 18 years and board member for 10, Peter was appreciated and respected by MOW staff, volunteers and community affiliates. A member of staff put it best in a note of appreciation, “Our team is better because of your continued involvement, and we’re very grateful for all your help.”
Due to his tenure and diligence, Peter knows the charity inside and out and had this to say when asked to comment on the occasion, “Meals on Wheels is an excellent organization. It is a huge help to our community with a clear and unambiguous mission. The people we serve need our help and won’t get it elsewhere. It is well organized, well administered and well supported by volunteers and the donor community.”
“If I have any wish it is that even more residents who have some time on their hands would commit to volunteer. We have a volunteer roster now of about 120 people but frankly need more.”
Though stepping away from his leadership position on the Board, Peter still plans to continue delivering meals 2 days a week. “It is very rewarding to have been involved with MOW for so many years. And of course it’s a privilege to be able to continue to work with them for hopefully many years to come.”
It was Jason Powell’s mother – Anne Powell who suggested Jason get involved with MOW. Mrs. Powell had served as a driver, kitchen volunteer and eventually as Chairman of the Board. Jason notes, “At the time I was working in real estate so finding time to drive was easy to do. I was hooked immediately. I loved the people on the route and the friendly relationships that formed and I could see the impact of a daily visit from MOW. Definitely a case of getting more out than one put in.”
Jason praised his predecessor for his dedication during tough times. “I’d like to stress how much time and effort was required in order to get the organization through the past two years. Peter worked tirelessly with various government boards, our board and our staff to keep us delivering food. He was determined that there was not going to be any interruption in our service and in spite of all of the challenges with lockdowns, losing about 90% of our drivers and kitchen help, social distancing, masks, etc., we continued to deliver.”
As for goals moving forward, Jason is keeping it simple. “I only hope that we can continue to serve as many people as we can for as long as our help is needed.”
All of us at Meals on Wheels feel fortunate to work alongside such dedicated individuals and thank them whole-heartedly for their service. We look forward to our continued teamwork with them both.