This week’s Vicksburg Post Volunteer of the Week is Christine Guizerix, who volunteers for St. Paul Catholic Church Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels is a program that allows volunteers to deliver a meal to those in need. 

Guizerix has been a Vicksburg resident for almost 20 years and is married to Skipper Guizerix. She has two children and one grandchild. Guizerix is a full-time employee at ERDC and enjoys playing tennis and gardening. 

How did you hear about the program?

Through my church, St. Paul Catholic Church.

How long have you been volunteering?

About 5 to 6 years.

What is your favorite memory while volunteering?

I love seeing the gratitude of the recipients. They are truly appreciative.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about volunteering?

It is so worth it. It only takes about an hour of your time to give back to the community and to fulfill a need.

What are your activities, and what do they involve for Meals on Wheels?

I started off as a deliverer of meals and sometimes brought the food. When the long-time coordinator retired, I was asked, along with Jan Jackson and Rae Perry, to take over the program. We deliver the first Saturday of every month and deliver about 40 to 45 meals. We receive a list from the Community Council with the names and addresses of those needing meals. We then ask for volunteers from our parish to cook the meals (consisting of a meat, vegetable, fruit, roll and dessert) and people to deliver the meals. We then box the food to be delivered. We need about eight volunteers to bring food and we need six drivers for the three routes we have (the drivers work in pairs). I update the delivery routes and we all help with cooking and driving when volunteers run short.

What have you learned from volunteering with this organization? How has this changed you? 

This is such a need in our community, and this takes very little effort on our part. Some of these people live in such poor conditions that I feel inadequate just delivering meals once a month. This is a great program and I wish that more people would volunteer. Anyone can call our church office and ask to volunteer. 

If there is a volunteer who should be featured, please submit their name and contact information to volunteer@vicksburgpost.com.