Community Servings is dedicated to providing free home-delivered meals throughout eastern Massachusetts to people homebound with HIV/AIDS and other acute life-threatening illnesses. The organization prepares and packages 725 meals every day, providing clients who are unable to shop or prepare food for themselves with two daily meals and 2,700 calories daily.

Every month, 850 volunteers are needed to prepare, package and deliver 30,000 meals to Community Servings’ 725 clients.

“I walked away feeling like I truly helped someone,” said Caitlin Hicks, a volunteer from HandsOn Network affiliate Boston Cares, after donating time to Community Servings recently. Volunteers are needed to help with everything from peeling carrots and chopping celery to packaging salads and desserts to be delivered to clients. Volunteers also help deliver the meals to clients’ homes.

Clients come from very diverse backgrounds and represent a range of ethnicities, including clients who are African American, Latino, Haitian and Cape Verdean. However, 90 percent are living in poverty. Thirty-three percent of the recipients are children of our meals, and 80 percent of their caregivers are single parents. Fifty-eight percent are men and 42 percent are women.

“I really enjoy volunteering for this project,” said Boston Cares volunteer Eric Kramer. “Who knew that peeling yams could be so therapeutic?