Hundreds Of DTE Energy Employees Volunteer For Meals On Wheels

DETROIT (WWJ) - Hundreds of volunteers are helping to prepare meals for home-bound senior citizens Friday.

WWJ's Florence Walton reports Detroit Meals on Wheels is getting help this year from DTE Energy, in preparing and delivering hot Christmas meals to nearly 10,000 home-bound seniors in Michigan.

Nancy Coach is one of the DTE volunteers helping out in Detroit.

"Here, my family is deciding how many, four or five desserts we're going to have and here someone is getting a boxed meal with a boxed cherry pie. And if that's the least I could do to contribute, then I want to be there and I want to help," said Coach.

Beverly Berry, director of program development at Detroit Area Agency on Aging, said for a lot of recipients, the Meals on Wheels delivery will be their only Christmas visitor.

"But for these hot meals coming to their house and these individuals who are basically coming to visit them, many of these home-bound seniors don't have caregivers or additional individuals who want to come, family who's going to come visit them. So, when they open the door and see a smile, sometimes the volunteers bring their kids with them, they have pictures, it's just really great," said Berry.

DTE Energy is sponsoring the Detroit Meals on Wheels program with a $100,000 donation and hundreds of volunteers, who will return on Christmas Day to pack the hot portion of the meals and to make deliveries.