Overview
CRIS Healthy-Aging Center has been providing Nutrition Services for more than forty years and is a member of the Meals On Wheels Association of America. Our focus is on using innovative ideas to expand service and evolve to meet the largest possible number of seniors in our community. Proper nutrition allows the individual to remain healthy, active and maintain their quality of life well into the advanced years.
Our Pledge to Participants
One thing we never waver from is our total commitment to ensuring the quality and wholesomeness of the meals we serve.
Our Mindfulness to Menus
- Influenced by regional taste preferences, season, and culinary trends, our menu is designed to meet our participants specific needs, taste preferences and continue to evolve as those needs change. Innovative and creative menus bring fresh ideas to your table.
- Using quality ingredients, meals are plated, sealed, and frozen at the peak of freshness using the latest innovations in safety and sanitation.
- Each meal contains an ingredient listing with cooking instructions for both microwave and conventional ovens.
Our Commitment to Health
- Meals are developed by registered dietitians and contain 1/3 of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for the most commonly requested nutrients in senior nutrition programs.
- One goal is to strive to continually low
- er fat and sodium while providing substantial vitamin and mineral contributions to each meal.
Research Confirms Our Commitment
- “Fruits and vegetables chosen for freezing tend to be processed at their peak ripeness, a time when, as a general rule, they are most nutrient packed…flash-freeze locks the vegetables in a relative nutrient-rich state.” – Gene Lester, PhD, USDA Agricultural Research Center
- Because freezing preserves food, no unwanted additives are needed in frozen goodies.
- “Frozen produce is prep-free, reaching for it can save you a ton of time, allowing you to make healthy dishes at home.” – Cynthia Sass, RD, MPH
Volunteer to Help Meals on Wheels
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands – one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
Thank you for being interested in becoming a volunteer. We are a nonprofit organization that has served East Central Illinois for over 48 years. We promote independence for adults that are age 60 or older. This happens through quite a few services such as: education, health, financial, social, and supportive services. Our goal at CRIS is to promote a healthy, active lifestyle with the intention of avoiding early or unnecessary long-term placement.
Volunteer Requirements
CRIS employs qualified and trained staff, but also needs volunteers like yourself to help provide much needed services to adults who need just a little bit of extra help. We need help for different aspects of the services that we provide.
To give the best possible care to our client we have a few requirements to be a volunteer:
- You must be 21 years or older
- You must have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and current auto insurance
- You must pass a background check
- You must work well with the elderly
Current Opportunities in Vermilion County
Meals on Wheels Drivers
The Meals of Wheels Program runs off the involvement of our trusted volunteers. A crucial part of that being our delivery drivers. We are constantly looking for volunteers to use their own vehicles to make a point of contact and hand deliver the meals to our clients. This typically only takes a couple hours in the morning; at the most two days a week. We deliver meals on Tuesdays and Fridays every week. The coolers will weigh about 25 to 40 pounds when full, but we would be happy to help you load them in your car. We will give you a route list to complete and it is as simple as that! Seniors around the county rely on our meals to help them get the food they need. We would love for you to help!
Meals on Wheels Morning Packer
The Meals on Wheels Program runs off the involvement of our trusted volunteers. We need some to help us pack those meals so our delivery drivers can deliver them. We do this in the early hours of the morning. We start packing meals at 7 am two days a week (Tuesdays and Fridays.) It takes about an hour each morning. We do have a process that is easy and simple. Seniors around the county rely on our meals to help them get the food they need. We would love for you to help!
Ready to Help? Please Fill out Form Below.
Thank you for your help. We appreciate you!