dbachman@observer-reporter.com

Alice Magayna isn't happy about the rising gas prices, but she refuses to give up her weekly stint delivering Meals on Wheels for the Beth-Center Senior Center.

And the reason is simple.

"Wednesday is my day, and I can't give it up because people need us," said Magayna, who began delivering meals in 1986 with her husband, Max.

Apparently there are quite a few people in Washington and Greene counties who feel the same way, and, as a result, volunteer drivers for Meals on Wheels were chosen the beneficiaries of the "Pay it Forward" program sponsored by the Observer-Reporter and Washington Federal Bank.

Three of the 173 entries submitted made strong arguments for Meals on Wheels, and the $5,000 prize will be distributed in the form of gas gift cards to volunteers. Washington County volunteers will receive $3,200 worth of gas, and Greene County volunteers will split $1,800.

Darlene Bigler, executive director of Community Action Southwest, was among the seven-member panel that pored through the entries, several of which, she said, were very compelling.

"It was so interesting to see the variety of wishes," she said. "I was really surprised by the number. It was a new project, and I wasn't sure people would make the effort."

Despite the number of entries, the panel had no difficulty reaching a consensus in quick fashion.

"Everyone had home-delivered meals in their top three," Bigler said, with one exception: herself.

Community Action Southwest administers Meals on Wheels in Greene County, and Bigler wanted to be objective. "Although I supported it, it was not one of my top three," she said.

Each month, three senior centers in Greene County - Carmichaels, Mt. Morris and Waynesburg - deliver 3,785 meals to homebound seniors, and Washington County delivers 6,777 meals, thanks to volunteers at Bentleyville, Beth-Center, Burgettstown, Claysville, Cross Creek and Washington senior centers, plus Thomas Campbell Apartments. The program in Washington County is administered by the Area Agency on Aging.

When Magayna, now 80, began to volunteer, she was known as a "runner," taking the meals from the car to the house. After her husband's death in 1988, she became a driver, and Margaret Malinsky, the runner. Since March, Josephine Kodala has been Magayna's sidekick, filling in for Malinsky, who has been ill.

"If you walked up to a person here, you'd be hard-pressed to find somebody who hasn't helped with Meals on Wheels," said Jerie Drupp, director of the Beth-Center site, who submitted one of the three winning entries.

Malinsky said she's only too happy to make the weekly 18-mile round trip through Clarksville, Fredericktown and Vestaburg, delivering 13 meals each time.

"I know what it's like to be by yourself," the 80-year-old said.

Tracy and Dolores Doman deliver meals the first week of each month, giving other volunteers on their route a break, and if a substitute is needed, they don't hesitate to fill in.

Their regular route is a 27-mile round trip that takes them throughout the Marianna area, and so committed are they that they enlisted the help of their granddaughter, Courtney Geller, now 21, when they first started delivering meals 20 years ago. Geller continues to help during semester breaks from college and when she's not working during the summer.

And the program isn't just about the meals. For the population Meals on Wheels serves, it's also about the friendships and socialization.

"We just enjoy seeing the people," Dolores Doman said. "Another thing we do is if they need milk, bread or juice, we tell them to call us before 9 a.m. and we'll stop and get it for them. Some of them don't see anybody but the people who deliver the meals."

That's why Bernadette Malinak of Washington decided to "Pay it Forward" for Meals on Wheels. Malinak, who also submitted one of the winning entries, delivered meals for nearly seven years in the California area.

"Wow, it's not as easy as I thought," she said. "Everybody needed attention when you arrived at the house."

A pharmacy technician today, Malinak said she empathizes with the Meals on Wheels drivers as gas prices continue to escalate.

"Most volunteers are elderly, and with gas prices ... That is such a shame. What a pinch on their budget."

At the same time, however, she understands why they continue to serve.

"It was very enjoyable, but it was also very sad when you left there. It was a shame to see some of those people. They were totally homebound, and they had no visitors. I've always been a firm believer in taking care of our old."

Wayne and Jean Thistlethwaite of Brownsville bring to the Meals on Wheels program what 77-year-old Wayne calls experience. They have delivered Christmas baskets to the needy for Brownsville High School.

Now, they deliver 13 meals once a week to residents in Centerville, Denbeau Heights, Lowhill and Richeyville.

"It will grow on you," Jean Thistlethwaite, 76, said. "Some people are really, really appreciative of a meal. You run into some people who are in bad situations. Some are bed-ridden. They really need care and help."

Once, Thistlethwaite found a woman lying on the floor when she arrived. The woman is diabetic, and Thistlethwaite has no idea how long she had been on the floor.

It's those type of incidents that have prompted Carol Andrew, director of the senior center in Waynesburg, to implement a buddy program for residents in neighboring rural communities.

In a letter accompanying the meals, Andrew is urging residents who have no relatives nearby to sign up for the program.

"They'll get a call on a daily basis. It can be just two sentences: 'Hi. How are you?'" she said.

Andrew said the Waynesburg site delivers an average of 80 meals per day, so she was thrilled when she learned that the entry submitted by Gary Ford of Lone Pine on behalf of his mother, Helen, who helps prepare meals at the center, was selected.

"Oh my gosh, what a blessing," she said. "I was really surprised. There were so many wonderful entries with good, valid needs. This is wonderful. I feel like doing a little dance."

Even though volunteers never ask for a penny for gas, she's glad she will be able to provide her drivers with some compensation.

"It's a vital program," she said. "I wish other people could really know how important this is. It's a ministry."

Andrew keeps a file card on each resident who receives a meal that includes a contact number in case volunteers happen upon someone with a medical emergency. She also knows each resident's birthday so she can give them a card along with their meal.

The Waynesburg center has a group of 15 dedicated drivers, and every Friday, a group from St. Ann Catholic Church volunteers.

One woman, Betty Fox, has been volunteering at the center for 30 years, and George and Loreen Dukate both joined the Meals on Wheels program after they retired.

"This is really a very important ministry," Loreen Dukate said. "As long as we're able to go, we're always willing.

"They look forward to us coming. You know, some of them haven't seen anybody."

Dukate, who worked as a secretary for 30 years at Waynesburg Central High School, serves as the driver during the couple's weekly 24-mile round trip, and her husband is the runner. Both are 76 years old, and in August, they will celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary.

"It's something we can do together," she said. "And who knows? Maybe we'll need them one day."

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