Do good, feel good — Milestone volunteer programs meet growing need across Southwest Michigan

Editor’s Note: Aging Matters is a series that examines programs, issues, and solutions that impact today’s seniors. This series is sponsored by Milestone Senior Services.

Have you ever thought about volunteering for a good cause, only to put it off? Maybe there’s another reason to make the leap: volunteering isn’t just good for your community — it may be good for your health, too. And for older adults and people living with disabilities, your time and talents can make an especially meaningful difference.

According to the renowned Mayo Clinic, volunteers report better physical health than nonvolunteers. Volunteering can reduce stress, increase positive feelings, and may lower the risk of health problems ranging from heart disease and stroke to depression and anxiety. Research also has found that people who volunteer have lower mortality rates than those who don’t, even after accounting for factors such as age, gender, and physical health.

In other words, volunteering can be a gift that works both ways: you give your time to help someone else, and you may gain important benefits for your own well-being in return. 

At Milestone Senior Services in Kalamazoo, that exchange happens every day. Hundreds of volunteers help Milestone fulfill its mission of “empowering and supporting seniors and adults living with disabilities in their choice to remain living at home.” Collectively, they contribute an average of 35,000 volunteer hours each year — hours that help make independence and connection possible for the people Milestone serves.

For those who have been waiting for a reason to volunteer, perhaps there are two: the difference you can make in someone else’s life and the difference volunteering can make in your own.

Programs needing volunteers include:

Meals on Wheels: Deliver meals to older adults in the community who are not able to access sufficient nutrition.

Home Repair & Accessibility: Assist the home-repair staff in building access ramps or performing minor home repairs. 

Pet Support: Repackage and organize the donated and purchased supply of pet food for distribution to clients with pets.

Kitchen Prep: Assist the Kalamazoo kitchen staff with tasks in the areas of meal assembly and service, dishwashing, and more.

Milestone’s best-known program is Meals on Wheels, formerly called Home-Delivered Meals, which uses hundreds of volunteers. Trevor Heywood, nutrition volunteer program assistant, says, “You may be having the worst day in the world, and you go out on a route and suddenly the world is so much better because you’ve just gotten a little oxytocin boost. People are happy to see you; they say thank you.  It’s just one of the best feelings in the world!”

For 63 years, the home-delivered meal program has depended on volunteers to take food to clients. Last year, 393 volunteers worked 21,106 hours. They serviced 32 routes across Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties.

Here are recent statistics:

Average number of clients served daily in Kalamazoo County: 382.

Average number of clients served daily in Calhoun County: 293.

Milestone also serves Allegan and Branch counties, and recently the daily average number of meals provided (more than the number of clients because some get more than one meal) was 410 in Allegan and 291 in Branch.

More drivers are always needed, especially around holidays and during winter when many drivers who are retired spend several months in a warmer location.  Heywood says there is a severe shortage of drivers in Calhoun County, where Meals on Wheels operates out of Kool Family Community Center in Battle Creek.

Volunteers must be at least 18, pass a background check, and be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on a weekday. Drivers choose how often they want to work, and a delivery route usually requires about two hours. 

“Most of the volunteers build really great relationships with the clients,” Heywood says. “We get volunteers who basically become like an extended family for a lot of these clients.

“Meals on Wheels is delivering meals, but it’s also providing at least a little bit of companionship — a smiling face stopping by and seeing how you’re doing. It’s also a safety check. The volunteers do such a great job of letting us know when there’s something out of the ordinary.

“They love meeting the people. I think the biggest reward is just the smile and the thank you that you get from the clients.”

Milestone Senior Services has a grant to operate a federal AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP program that pairs people aged 55 and older with organizations making change in communities in southwest Michigan.  Milestone partners with 29 agencies to help find volunteers for them.

People 55 and older wanting to volunteer can register with AmeriCorps through Milestone, which then alerts them about volunteer opportunities that match their interests. For example, helping out at the food bank Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes is a popular choice.  

Ranjita Kaur, AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP director and community volunteer specialist, says, “Volunteers are so important to us because they bridge the gap — the funding and staffing limitations on achieving our goals. Volunteers are the ones who fill that gap.”

Volunteers must pass a background check. They are paid for auto mileage up to 75 miles per month, and they get supplemental insurance for accidents, personal liability, and excess automobile liability.

Kaur says about 180 people are registered, and currently 100 of them are active. Volunteers choose how, where, and when they want to serve, with commitments ranging up to 40 hours per week.  

Often volunteers don’t know what to expect, and Kaur says, “We like to prepare our new volunteers about what it could be, but then at the end of the day we always get like ‘Oh my God, why didn’t I do this before?!’  They get so much back from the experience.”

One Milestone program offers home deliveries of pet food to needy Home-Delivered Meals clients because otherwise some share meals with pets and neither gets enough nutrition.

Donated pet food comes through a partnership with Kalamazoo Humane Society.  However, a donation might be a 50-pound bag of dog food, so volunteers at Milestone repackage it into sizes suitable for home delivery.

Another endeavor of AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP is the Senior Companion Program, which “focuses on providing assistance and companionship to older adults who have difficulty with daily living tasks, such as shopping or paying bills. . . . Volunteers keep older adults independent longer and provide respite to family caregivers.”

Milestone now provides 33 volunteer companions, but constantly has a waitlist of 8 to 15 seniors.  “We have so many people who are looking for a companion that we can’t keep up with it,” says Shellie Harrison, Senior Companion Program director

Battle Creek resident Dena Morrow has been a volunteer companion since March. “We just step in and help them with something or at least be company. I love it. I think I found out what I’m really supposed to be doing,” she says.

Morrow describes a difficult situation she overcame. “This man had anxiety. He didn’t want visits, just wanted phone calls. I kept talking to him, and finally he let me visit. Now I drive him places, and I go see him, and I help him with his computer. It took a while because he just didn’t like being around people.”

Morrow adds, “I just love being busy. If I wasn’t here, I’d be at home watching TV or something.”

Harrison notes that volunteers must complete a full day of training and attend monthly training sessions after they start.  

Usually they visit their companion two days a week and stay no more than two hours. They volunteer a minimum of 10 hours a week and up to 40. Some volunteers visit assisted living facilities and nursing homes, where they encourage residents to participate in activities.

Volunteer companions get reimbursed for auto mileage and provided with supplemental insurance. Depending on their income, they also might get a small stipend.

People who enjoy hands-on work might like to volunteer for Milestone’s home-repair program, which helps seniors safely remain in their homes. Last year, 49 volunteers provided 2,473 hours of services.

Here are some 2025 statistics:

• 85 access ramps built for homes.

• 158 people received other (non-ramp) safety/accessibility modifications.

• 230 people received other home-repair services.

• 415 home-safety inspections were conducted.

Home modifications include entry ramps, tub-to-shower conversions, grab bars, non-slip surfaces, and handrails. The service is available in Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties.

Experience in construction work isn’t needed to join the Milestone teams. Some volunteers join for the learning opportunity and to enjoy the camaraderie of teamwork to make homes safer and better.

To inquire about volunteering for any of Milestone Senior Service’s programs, call 269-382-0515 or click here to apply.