It’s a testament to the depth of the need that even at this time of year local social service agencies remain looking for volunteers.

The Gainesville and Hall County community gives back in a big way, but perhaps that stretches everyone thin around Christmas.

Whatever the case, Meals on Wheels is putting out the call for more drivers to deliver warm food to disabled seniors and others living on fixed incomes.

“We are hoping to add 25 new volunteers to our pool of 200 by the end of January,” said Phillippa Lewis Moss, director of the Gainesville-Hall County Community Service Center.

Volunteer orientations are held at 2 p.m. every Wednesday at the center.

“Delivering 8,000 hot meals along 30 meal routes throughout Gainesville-Hall County each month requires an army of volunteers,” Moss said. “These new faces will replace those volunteers who have retired, moved away, find themselves in delicate health or facing increasing family demands.”

Volunteers pick up pre-packed hot meals from the center’s kitchen and deliver the meals during the lunch hour along a route that lasts no more than one hour each.

Detailed turn-by-turn driving instructions ensure that volunteers get from Point A to Point B with relative ease, Moss said.

“As the population of Gainesville-Hall County grows, so too will the number of older adults who need a little extra care like a hot meal or a daily visit,” Moss said. “The ‘silver tsunami’ is here and volunteers are like life preservers.”

“Silver Tsunami” refers to the growing population of senior citizens.