Prescott Meals on Wheels seeks volunteers to be part of a ‘stabilizing force’ in the community
By Hilary Dartt • Courtesy Photos
At 10 a.m. each day, the Prescott Meals on Wheels headquarters is a hive of activity. Food’s cooking, volunteers are packaging it up, and drivers are loading their cars to head out for delivery. The sounds of chatting and laughter keep the place abuzz as folks work together to fulfill the Meals on Wheels mission: enabling adults to maintain independence and dignity by delivering community, nourishment, and care.
When Kristy and Dave Marston moved to Prescott in 2003, they needed something to do. Their friends in New Jersey had volunteered for Meals on Wheels and enjoyed it, so the Marstons found the local chapter and signed on.
“At first, we did it because our friends had done it,” Kristy said during a recent interview. Then they realized what a big need the organization fills. “People need to be fed.”
And, the Marstons enjoy it so much, they’ve stayed for more than 20 years.
“I love the camaraderie with the other volunteers,” Kristy said. “We have a great time talking with people who come through the line. They’re so appreciative.”
“It’s a fulfilling thing to do,” Dave said. “It doesn’t take all that much time, and the payback exceeds the effort.”
Fulfilling the Meals on Wheels vision “to live in a community without hunger, isolation, or loneliness,” volunteers prepare, package, and deliver chef-prepared meals to those in need.
But as Christopher, a neighbor who receives meals, said, “The food is secondary to the social. Each person who delivers has become quite dear to me. They help me a whole lot.”
The feeling is mutual: Dave said of volunteering, “You feel like you’re doing something to help people each and every day. Plus, I get as much out of it as they do.”
The whole operation requires lots of hands (and more than 21,000 volunteer hours per year). What Kristy called “a dedicated office staff” runs things behind the scenes. Professional chef Joseph Wohl, prepares the meals, and then a team of volunteers packs them into trays. The trays then go into coolers or warming bags. Some neighbors receive additional bags of food for a weekend meal.
The delivery drivers load their vehicles with the coolers, warming bags, any frozen weekend meals, and milk, and then head out, delivering between a dozen and 18 meals per route (there are 23 routes in Prescott and Prescott Valley).
Meanwhile, volunteers at the Meals on Wheels Café serve food to neighbors who come in.
The monthly menu features a wide variety; for example, in June neighbors were treated to baked ham, Philly cheesesteak, baked cod, roasted pork, cobb salad, and chicken and dumplings, to name a few (each meal includes a main dish, vegetable, fruit, and dessert).
The organization also delivers “animeals”—food for neighbors’ pets.
“Every Meals on Wheels is different,” Kristy said, “and ours is considered one of the best,” in part because this chapter has a professional chef.
From 2022 to 2023, Meals on Wheels saw a 40 percent increase in demand for services. Drivers delivered 103,000 meals in 2024 and served 772 neighbors.
Still, said Neal Sneller, Executive Director of Prescott Meals on Wheels, the need has continued to grow. “We have a vision of serving more.”
They also have a goal of becoming financially independent. To do that, Prescott Meals on Wheels needs more volunteers—and more donations.
“We are built on the time and generosity of our volunteers,” Neal said. “We have 250 volunteers, and we constantly need more.”
In a promotional video for Meals on Wheels, volunteer Dawn McCarron relays the story of a neighbor who told her Meals on Wheels is the only organization he can rely on; they come when they say they’re going to come and do what they say they’re going to do.
Dawn said, “It’s a very stabilizing force in that way.”
The Prescott Meals on Wheels Café on Rosser is in the Rowle P. Simmons Community Center at 1280 E. Rosser Street and it’s open to the public. To learn more about Prescott Meals on Wheels, visit https://prescottmealsonwheels.org.
Striving for Financial Independence
Prescott Meals on Wheels is running its Annual Appeal to raise money to become financially independent and meet the ever-growing local need.
To learn more and donate, visit https://prescottmealsonwheels.org/annual-appeal-2025/.