ILHS Key Club Delivers Meals on Wheels

ILHS Key Club Delivers Meals on Wheels
Posted on 09/07/2017
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“Come on in!” 

Russells Point resident Del Rose greeted Indian Lake High School Key Club members Gianna Hagedorn and Delaney Woods as they came to her front door with her dinner recently. 

Hagedorn and Woods are two of 24 senior members from the high school service club that are taking turns delivering “Meal on Wheels” to homebound residents in the Indian Lake area every Friday this school year. 

Key Club advisor Jenifer Ignarski explains that Logan County United Way Director Dave Bezusko and the Columbus area Meals on Wheels Director of Volunteers contacted school officials last spring because more help was needed to make deliveries in communities near campus. Ignarski was excited about the impact involvement in such a program could have on her Key Club members. 

“I want them to do it now so they can see what it’s like in the community and understand that people are in need,” she said. 

Ignarski and ILHS paraprofessional Lisa McGatha learned the procedures and began delivering to clients in the area over the summer. Now the two of them rotate escorting pairs of senior ILHS Key Club members on the delivery route at the end of every week.

After transporting the thermal packages of food from Columbus to Russells Point where she meets up with the Key Club group, Meals on Wheels volunteer driver Amy Weatherall remarked, “I think it’s great that these kids are involved because it shows they respect the elderly and disabled.” 

Hagedorn and Woods were among the first pairs of students to take possession of the food containers from Weatherall, sort out the packages and then drop them off at up to seven designated residences. Upon delivery, they struck up a conversation with Rose about her cat and favorite kinds of meals.  

Rose remarked, “I’m looking forward to getting to know these kids that come. I’ll be glad to have them back.” 

“I learned that it’s not even just the meals that can make someone happy, it’s talking to them and getting to know them, “ Hagedorn said. 

The route varies from week to week, taking the students and their chaperones from Russells Point to Huntsville and sometimes the north side of the lake for deliveries, but Ignaski knows the lesson the students learn will remain constant. 

Woods said, “There’s a lot of people in our community that need help and by volunteering you can reach out to those people and let them know young people care.”