Volunteers Needed in Hickman County
The Drive for Volunteers in Hickman County
Recruiting Neighbors to Help the Homebound in the Age of COVID-19
NASHVILLE,
April 1, 2020 -- The coronavirus has upended lives all across Tennessee,
disrupting citizens’ health, work, education,
family time -- and even their
ability to help out their neighbors.
The
disruption has reached Hickman County
too, as social service organizations are finding themselves short of their
usual corps of dependable volunteers who drive meals to homebound older adults.
Many
of the volunteers are older citizens themselves and must be especially mindful
of the COVID-19 threat. And with the
steady progress of the coronavirus across Tennessee, support organizations must
plan for the growing possibility that even more of their volunteers will be
unable to contribute in coming weeks.
The
Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability has a plan.
It
has boosted its efforts to recruit a new corps of volunteers to meet the
growing demand, especially for people who rely on the regular delivery of
nutritious meals to their homes.
In the past week alone, more than 300 Tennesseans have contacted the commission and passed the background checks necessary to become the type of neighbor who is willing to drive a hot meal to an older adult’s home and make sure that everyone is OK
Hickman County is facing a shortage of volunteer delivery
drivers, and the commission is working to rally more people to the cause.
Follow
this link to the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability website: https://www.tn.gov/aging/learn-about/volunteer-opportunities.html.
The
page will guide volunteers through the quick registration process.
Or
call to speak to a recruiter: 615-557-7202.
Once volunteers have been vetted to ensure they meet the state’s safety requirements, Hickman County and Tennessee will be able to react much more quickly to a potential shortfall in volunteers.