Local News - March 2003

LINC volunteers

By DIANE TURBYFILL, LTN Staff Writer

March 21, 2003 - Tuesdays feel like Sundays to Paul and Geneva Engle.

That’s when the couple heads to Lincoln Medical Center to pack lunches for shut-ins in the LINC Meals program.

“It’s like going to church and being with your friends,” Paul Engle says.

Paul, 87, and Geneva, 81, have been packing meals for the program since it began in 1982.

“When we retired, our minister asked us if we’d help out here,” Geneva says. “We got into it and never got out.”

The Engles have cut back their volunteerism slightly this year. They now alternate Tuesdays with another volunteer.

Mitzi Williams, director of LINC Meals, says their help is invaluable.

“Every Tuesday they’re down there,” she says. “They keep that kitchen hopping.”

Williams recognized the Engles and approximately 200 other volunteers Tuesday during the annual LINC Meals Volunteer Luncheon.

The Citizens Center was filled with drivers, packers and numerous other program volunteers.

Once they had finished their morning’s work, the volunteers sat at tables divided by routes. They ate lunch, donated by Bojangles, and caught up with each other.

Men, women and children talked about people on their routes, their families, churches and desserts.

But the crowd quieted down when the program began. The importance of volunteerism was the hot topic, and awards were given.

Lincoln Nursing Center was recognized for preparing meals. The local nursing home, along with Lincoln Medical Center, provides food and packing space for the program.

Faith Ingle and her 8-year-old daughter, Christiana, stood up when new volunteers were recognized.

The Ingles have been driving a route since August 2002.

Faith Ingle says she heard about the program through the Lincoln County Home Educators. She says the experience has been rewarding.

“We love it. We love the interaction with the people. They’re so sweet.”

Christiana often makes art projects for the people on her route.

“She thinks of some of them as her grandparents,” Faith Ingle says.

Recruiting new drivers for the program is important. Dividing up the routes has been key, says Helen Jonas, team coordinator and driver for the West Lincoln 1 route.

When drivers only take routes once a week or once a month, it’s easier to fit into their busy schedules, Jonas says.

She makes certain to call her drivers each week to keep the well-oiled machine running.

Jonas has been a volunteer with LINC Meals for almost 21 years. She began working with the Christian Ministry program after retiring as a school teacher.

She finds her volunteerism rewarding.

“You get a lot of satisfaction out of it. The meal is only part of it. The contact is the biggest part.”

LINC Meals is a Christian Ministry of Lincoln County program that provides meals for more than 100 shut-ins in Lincoln County. Volunteers drive hour-long routes Monday through Friday, feeding an average of 11 people per route.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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