Volunteering

A young volunteer offers support by delivering fresh vegetables to an elderly gentleman indoors.

How FiftyForward Fresh Volunteer Drivers Help Keep Older Adults Safe

A young volunteer offers support by delivering fresh vegetables to an elderly gentleman indoors.

By: Bonnie Brown & Larry Jones, FiftyForward FRESH Program

Last Thursday, volunteer driver Jeff Bayer delivered a meal to a client in her 90s, but she did not answer the door as usual. Jeff contacted the client’s daughter, listed as the emergency contact on the route sheet, and let her know he had left the meal at her mother’s door.

Over the weekend, the client’s daughter contacted Jeff with a shocking update: when she arrived at the apartment, she found her mother on the floor with a broken hip! She had fallen the night before while going to the restroom and could not answer the door when Jeff came by. Jeff could have dismissed the unanswered door that morning, but his extra concern helped ensure the client was found and taken to the emergency room sooner.

We are proud of Jeff and all our FiftyForward Fresh drivers who go the “extra mile” to know our clients, understand their routines, and notice when something does not seem right.

Since 1969 our caring volunteers have delivered thousands of nutritious meals and safety checks, offering hope to older adults at risk from hunger and loneliness in our Nashville community. Sign up to be a FiftyForward Fresh volunteer or learn more.

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