Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County

Keeping our community safe

The Merrimack Police Department celebrated during Community Champions Week

Easy with a smile and kind word, Merrimack Police Chief Brian Levesque, and Deputy Chief Matthew Tarleton, joined Meals on Wheels volunteer Bob to deliver meals across the town recently as part of Community Champions Week 2021.

“We’ve been pleased to support this program for many years,” said Chief Levesque. “We very much enjoy volunteering and speaking to area residents to see how they’re doing.”

Deputy Chief Tarleton, who lives in Merrimack, knows most of the clients seen that day by first name, and encounters one of his former school teachers along the route. At each stop, he and Chief Lesvesque inquire as to how the clients are doing and remind them to call the department with any problems or concerns. With the onset of COVID-19, scam phone calls are on the rise and as seniors are frequent target, the duo want to raise awareness.

As the day goes on, it is clear to an observer that the officers not only know the town very well but have also made personal connections with residents and clients along the route. Chief Levesque explained that the department holds daily team meetings with their community liaison to help identify people that may need services like Meals on Wheels or other safety net services. If there does seem to be someone who needs help, the department seeks to connect them to support and resources.

“We appreciated being part of this and received a lot of positive comments,” said Chief Levesque. “We are looking forward to more experiences with Meals on Wheels.”