When it came time for Tony Eaton to retire from a career working in the trades, the Pelham resident recalled how odd it felt to have so much free time on his hands. Looking to fill his days, Eaton began looking for opportunities to help people in a meaningful way.
Pelham Cares, a non-for-profit that provides food assistance and other resources to people in need, had the answer Eaton was looking for. Eaton said he has donated to Pelham Cares for years, so that’s what spurred him to visit the non-profit agency’s website to find out about volunteering. When he learned about the agency’s program to provide seniors with rides to and from medical appointments, Eaton liked the idea.
“I have seen their advertising over the years for food drives and I knew Pelham Cares has done a lot to help people in the community so I wanted to see if I could get involved,” Eaton said. “At first, they said they had enough drivers but after looking at my resume, they saw that I worked in cooling and heating and they took me on.”
For the last year and a half, Eaton has been offering his handyman expertise by making small repairs around the agency’s Highway 20 property, in addition to his driving skills.
“I enjoy it. Just helping people makes me feel good and what I love about this opportunity is that you’re able to do this on your own time table. I can give what I can when I am able.”
Some weeks, Eaton can spend up to 40 hours a week driving clients to and from their medical appointments. Other weeks, Eaton might spend 10 hours on the road. It just depends on the need on any given day and his availability.
While he said he enjoys the drives, Eaton explained there is a social benefit for both volunteers and clients. Eaton said he gets to meet and make friends with new people while he is behind the wheel. Similarly, Eaton said many clients he meets don’t necessarily have family close by or have the ability to drive themselves to where they need to go.
“I hear a lot of their stories, and often they tell me about what’s going on in their lives. A lot of the people I help live in retirement homes, or they are living alone and don’t have anyone else to talk to,” he said. “I hear a lot of positive stories, and sometimes negative things but I always try to keep it light.”
Volunteers can give as much time as they like and can let Pelham Cares know what days they are available. Volunteers are needed to drive clients to appointments in Niagara and occasionally outside the region to places such as Hamilton. There is no charge for this service. However, clients are asked to pay for out-of-pocket expenses such as parking.
Eaton said volunteer drivers have a couple options when it comes to paying for gas that’s used on a trip. Volunteers can be reimbursed per kilometre, or receive a tax receipt at the end of the year.
“I like that I can donate those kilometres and receive a charitable tax receipt because at the end of the day, Pelham Cares does so much for the community and I am happy to support that work.”
For more information about Pelham Cares including volunteer opportunities visit www.https://pelhamcares.org.
