ORLANDO, Fla. – A call to action to help the hungry in Central Florida and this time we're not talking about our young students, but our growing retired population.
[WEB EXTRA: How to volunteer for Meals on Wheels -- Seminole County | Orange County | March for Meals ]
Meals on Wheels is putting out a major call for help this month. They must serve 5,000 meals per day and are in desperate need of drivers.
Three days a week, for the past five years volunteer Bob Frew has spent his mornings delivering "Meals on Wheels."
"After I started I realize the blessing is on me it's not on the people," Frew said.
Audrey says she looks forward to a hot meal every day.
"This way it's nice ya just put it in the microwave and its ready!" she said.
In Orange County, Meals on Wheels delivers between 900-1100 meals a day. It takes over 300 volunteers to cover 75 routes each week.
In Seminole County, Meals on Wheels delivers 550 meals a day. It takes 225 volunteers to cover 32 routes each week.
And the demand keeps growing.
"We do have a waiting list for meals on wheels and it ranges anywhere between 350 and 500, just in Orange County," said Marsha Lorenz, president and CEO of Seniors First and Meals on Wheels.
Nationwide, one in six seniors go hungry.
"Most people don't think about senior hunger they think about kid hunger but they don't always think about senior hunger," Lorenz said.
82-year-old Gladys told Local 6 she depends on these meals.
"Beautiful I say thank you every day and every morning because they take care of everything," she said.
So who would be a prime candidate?
"The prime candidate is someone who lives alone. Is unable to cook for themselves," Lorenz said. "And needs some kind of assistance to make sure they are getting basic nutrition on a daily basis."
Besides dropping meals off, Frew also checks and makes sure everyone is doing OK, like Mariana.
"That's the best thing that happened to me, I don't have any friends or nothing," she Mariana said. "I'm almost blind so the neighbors don't associate with me."
Volunteers like Frew use their own car, gas and time.
Lorenz said she has a message or those volunteers: "We couldn't do what we do without these volunteers I mean they are just wonderful. Angels on earth is really what they are"
Frew says this is what keeps him going and going...and he looks forward to seeing the people on his route.
"I just really enjoy taking the meals to them knowing that I'm helping them a little bit," Frew said. "You just really get to know them and just really appreciate all that I have...it's just amazing,"