North Olmsted SITES students serve with Westlake Meals on Wheels

Nathan Wenger and Aiden Scruggs assist drivers with Meals on Wheels. 

Many non-profit organizations depend upon the time and service of volunteers. Westlake Meals on Wheels is no exception. The organization has benefited from the help of North Olmsted High School SITES students for several years. The SITES (Social Involvement Through Education and Service) program allows high school seniors to participate in service organizations in their community for five hours per week as part of their academic program.  

This semester, Westlake Meals on Wheels has had three SITES students assisting in the daily operations four days per week. Noah Cuevas, Nathan Wenger and Aiden Scruggs have been able to volunteer, even through the pandemic. They assist with meal preparation, packaging items for the recipients, and loading coolers for Meals on Wheels drivers as part of the curbside process implemented as a result of Covid-19.  

“We are thankful for the help the SITES students have always offered us, and hope they see the value in their contributions,” said Executive Director Marie Patten-Blatter. Westlake Meals on Wheels is fortunate to have over 150 volunteers that prepare and deliver over 700 meals per week to homebound residents in five communities. The SITES students are an integral part of this process.

All three students are looking forward to their next steps, even if Covid is still causing a bit of uncertainty. Aiden may look to enter the military or the workforce. Nathan hopes to attend Mount Union University to pursue an engineering degree and would like to continue swimming. Noah is looking to first attend community college and transfer later to a four-year program in music composition.

Because Meals on Wheels is a national program, the students have the opportunity to volunteer no matter where they may live in the future. The people being served by Meals on Wheels are their neighbors. Hopefully their time with us will remind them in the future of the impact they can have when they volunteer. 

Brooke ODonnell

Brooke O'Donnell

Marketing and Community Outreach for Meals on Wheels Westlake

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Volume 13, Issue 7, Posted 10:36 AM, 04.06.2021