Meals on Wheels Sudbury struggling with lack of volunteers

Meals on Wheels in Sudbury is facing a shortage of volunteers this holiday season, leaving the group scrambling to cover delivery routes.

The group, which delivers low-cost meals to the ill, elderly people andpeople living with disabilities, has about 80 volunteers serving 120 to 150 people a day.

However, many of the volunteers are retirees who go south this time of year, saidoperations manager Ashley Paajanen.

At the same time, the charity sees a spike in people asking for help during the holidays.

"Families, they come home and realize, mom and dad aren't eating right, so they sign them up to the service," she said.

Paajanen saidthey also lose drivers because not everybody is comfortable driving in bad winter weather.

If you're interested in volunteering with Meals on Wheels in Sudbury, the minimum requirement is one route per month.