Volunteer

Volunteers are always needed!

To succeed, Gaithersburg MOW requires a group of dedicated volunteers working together for a good cause.

If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the form below or email us at volunteer@gburgmow.org  and our Volunteer Chair will contact you with more information. If you have specific questions about volunteering, please read the mini FAQ below the form. We look forward to hearing from you!

Volunteer Form

Drivers

Drivers are needed for the lunchtime delivery of meals to clients’ homes. Gaithersburg MOW will pay for a background check before you start, and training is provided. You will need a car that can hold a large and small carrier. There is moderate bending and lifting.

Many of our volunteers are retired but we also have couples, families, students and people whose workplace allows them time to volunteer. Most drivers take one day per week (e.g. every Tuesday) or every other week (just 2-3 times a month).

Drivers pick up the meals at the Benjamin Gaither Center (80-A Bureau Dr, Gaithersburg, MD 20878) in Gaithersburg between 10:45 AM – 11:15 AM. The food comes in a large carrier for cold food and a smaller carrier for the hot meals. The carriers are supplied by us. The meals are delivered to clients between 11 AM and 1 PM, Monday through Friday, except for major holidays or if Montgomery County Schools are closed due to inclement weather.

There are seven routes that span an approximate 3-mile distance from the pick-up site. Each driver has the same narrow route (to reduce the time it takes to deliver meals). There are between 8 - 12 clients per route. This becomes your “regular route” so knowing the route and clients becomes easier. Clients may come and go, however, your route area remains, basically, the same area. Most routes are completed within 1 ½ hours, so expect a total 2-hour commitment. If you will be out of town or cannot drive your regular day, we have procedures in place for switching days.

Dispatcher

A dispatcher is a combination office manager and volunteer supervisor. They can work alone or in teams of two. Their hours are usually 9:45am - 11:30am. Their duties include checking the incoming meals from the caterer, signing for the delivery, making sure drivers know which client will not be receiving a meal on a particular day, helping drivers load cars (as needed), and light administrative work. There are different dispatchers each weekday.

Volunteer Descriptions

Administrative

We can often use help in other ways, besides driving. Let us know if you have an interest in general administration, computer data input, phone messages, special projects, public relations, community relations, volunteer appreciation, legal support, IT, website, and marketing.

Volunteering FAQ

  • Volunteers arrive to pick up meals to be delivered around 10:30 am each day. Each delivery route takes between 1-2 hours to complete. We suggest a quick chat with each client and there are usually 8-12 clients on each route (although some stops may be two individuals at the same residence).

  • Yes. You use your own car. You are not reimbursed for fuel or paid as a volunteer. Your car needs to accommodate 2 carriers (supplied by Gaithersburg MOW) of prepared meals; 1 large one for cold food and 1 small carrier for hot food.

  • The individual meals for each client are easily carried. The larger cold carrier may require 2 people to load it into your car but will be much lighter when you return – the dispatcher is there to help load the carriers. Hand trucks are available for you to use to assist getting carriers to and from your car. You need to be able to walk apartment stairways and across parking lots to get to some residences.

  • New volunteers are matched with a current driver on the route they will be driving. If you feel ready after 1 day, you’re set. If you need additional training sessions, these will be arranged.

  • Most volunteers come in one day every other week, so that’s about 2-3 times a month. Drivers can switch with other drivers on their route if they know they will miss a regularly scheduled day.

  • Sorry, we don't actually prepare our own meals - they're prepared by a catering company and delivered to us fresh each weekday morning to be delivered to the community.

  • For most clients, you hand them the food at the door. A few clients are unable to come to the door. In those cases, instructions are provided that explain how you should enter the residence and where the meals should be placed. This is why the driver is required to have a background check.

  • We encourage volunteering with a friend, family member or child. However, only the official volunteer, who has passed the background check, is allowed to enter a residence.

  • Yes! We're always looking for substitute drivers who can fill in as needed, help with the website, administration, community support, public relations, and special projects.

  • As of 2024, Maryland allowed a deduction for unreimbursed auto travel expenses when volunteering for a qualified organization whose primary purpose is to provide medical, health, or nutritional care. This applies to Meals on Wheels. Check the current tax regulations for the current tax guidelines.