Dedicated Volunteer Goes the Extra Mile for Meals on Wheels Clients
Volunteer Spotlight
Richard Wolf, a 72-year-old retired Chemist from Birdsboro has been volunteering for Berks Encore for the past seven years as a Meals on Wheels delivery driver. He delivers meals from our Douglassville Center every Wednesday. He often jumps in at the last minute to help when another driver is sick and on a few occasions even offered to deliver two longer routes on the same day just to help. In late 2023, Richard was in a serious accident while on his way back from delivering meals and suffered a fractured sternum. He came back to volunteering not long after the accident. Sharon Pedrick, Douglassville Center Manager shared “Richard is an amazing volunteer! I am so grateful for his dedication to helping with Meals on Wheels. We are lucky to have him as a regular volunteer.”
Richard has been volunteering for the past thirty years for other local causes including the Union Lodge no. 479, Birdsboro election services, local Covid 19 vaccine clinics and attends mission trips. Richard shared, “volunteering has shown me firsthand understanding of the needs in our community. I am happy to volunteer my time to meet the needs of others and contribute to the community. My greatest achievement in life is helping others through volunteering.”
Richard is married and has two sons and four grandchildren. During the warmer months of the year, he enjoys bicycling. He is also an avid pickleball player who joins in the fun playing indoors at Berks Encore Douglassville. Berks Encore would like to thank Richard for his commitment to serving others through Meals on Wheels.
Berks Encore is grateful for the 688 volunteers like Richard who helped make a difference in the lives of older adults in Berks County. Together our volunteers completed more than 53,400 hours of service in 2023. Our volunteers help with packing and delivering Meals on Wheels, grocery shop for our clients, visiting with our clients through the friendly visitor program, help in our office, counsel clients about their Medicare coverage and help with center activities like reading to preschoolers at our Fleetwood Center. We are always in need of new volunteers. You can volunteer when it is convenient for you. To learn more, please contact Michelle Goodhart, Volunteer Coordinator at 610-374-3195 ext. 225 or submit a volunteer application berksencore.org/get-involved/.
