'Tis the season for giving back. Five local nonprofit organizations share ways you can lend a helping hand. MEALS ON WHEELS Pat Williams, clutching a hot meal in her hand, scurries up to Eugenia Offard's porch. This is the first of five stops on the route she travels with husband Eurie each Wednesday. The couple delivers Meals on Wheels for Dauphin Way United Methodist Church. Offard, who has not been able to cook a full meal since she fell a few years ago, looks forward to delivery time for the company as much as the food. "It gives me something to get up and dressed for," she says. But the Williams couple can't stay long, or their fifth delivery of food will get cold. A few years back, Pat's parents received Meals on Wheels. It was such a help that when Pat and Eurie moved back to Mobile seven years ago, they signed up to assist with the program. Each weekday, volunteers divvy up food prepared at Springhill Hospital into individual servings. Drivers deliver the plates to more than 50 people a day in an area from Broad Street to I-65 and Springhill Avenue to I-10. {HOW YOU CAN HELP} New drivers and substitute drivers are always needed. The organization also needs donations to help subsidize meals. To volunteer, call the church at 471-1511, or visit dauphinwayumc.org/meals.asp. THE HAVEN Before The Haven opened its doors, some 40 percent of abandoned animals in Fairhope were euthanized. Now, the rate is well under 10 percent, as The Haven helps hundreds of dogs and cats find new homes each year. About 100 human volunteers are devoted to the process of calming frightened animals, socializing them with people and other pets, and finding a perfect match in owners. Kathie Ono started out simply manning The Haven's phones. Now she coordinates a plethora of volunteers. Her team includes resale shop workers, foster families and dog walkers, as well as animal lovers who handle the pets at adoption events around the Eastern Shore. Like other employees and volunteers, Ono is passionate about the work of The Haven. "These animals can't take care of themselves," she says. Eva Becker, for example, rocks each new cat day after day until it's calm enough to join the grown-up cats in the indoor-outdoor cat play area. In the dog play area, Ono picks up a ball and five dogs come running for attention. "Sit," she says to the biggest, who wags his tail happily, while the smallest dog obediently sits. When she visits the cat rooms, a dozen felines come snuggling at her ankles. The animals' genuine unconditional love and appreciation make the hard work all worth it. {HOW YOU CAN HELP} The Haven has a wide range of volunteer opportunities for animal lovers. Visit havenforanimals.org for more information or call 929-3980. RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF MOBILE In theory, residents at Ronald McDonald House could get their meals at a restaurant. But exhaustion and worry from spending 12 or more hours a day at the bedside of a sick child or premature infant require solace food. When volunteers, like Maurice Paraham and Mike Mosley bring dinner, as they do every Wednesday evening, families gather for some of the few relaxing moments in many days. "I always wanted to give back, and this is my way," Paraham says, as he dishes up plates of barbecued ribs, baked beans and corn salad. It's so good, the thankful parents ask for the recipe. "I just want to be a blessing for someone who's away from home for so long." Around the dinner table, conversation flows. Residents share news of their children's progress. "We are so lucky to be here," says Mary Decker, of Lucedale, whose son, Keaton, just reached one of the first milestones of his young life. Born at 2 pounds, 15 ounces, Keaton has weighed in at 3 pounds today - earning the opportunity to wear clothes. {HOW YOU CAN HELP} Contact volunteer coordinator Liz Calci at 649-6873 to serve in a variety of projects, such as phone duty, yard work or dinner preparation. For more information, visit rmhmobile.com/volunteering. MCKEMIE PLACE Earlean Richardson was down on her luck. Emma Dukes feared that her welcome was wearing thin at her sister's home. Both women ended up at McKemie Place, a Mobile shelter for homeless women sponsored by United Methodist Inner City Mission. "It's a place to be out of harm and danger," Dukes says. Now, both are graduates. They live on their own and look for ways to help others, just as strangers helped them. They speak fondly of church groups, Girl Scouts and others who come to the shelter almost every day to serve dinner. The help Richardson received at McKemie "makes me get up every morning and say, 'I've got a mission,'" she says. She volunteers at the shelter, while Dukes volunteers at 15 Place, another homeless shelter in Mobile. Perhaps the most valuable gift, however, is the support shelter residents offer one another. Dukes says when newcomers arrive, "They think they'll be here forever." Instead, they become part of a sisterhood, encouraging and pointing others toward solutions. "My independence is back," Dukes says, "and my self-esteem." {HOW YOU CAN HELP} McKemie Place needs volunteers to prepare and serve dinners and provide personal items, supplies and financial support. For more information, call shelter manager Christine Greene at 432-1122 or visit mckemieplace.org. WATERFRONT RESCUE MISSION Many people have been moved by Ron Hall and Denver Moore's book "Same Kind of Different as Me." Ginna Inge, below, and Robin Minton were moved to action. After reading the book in a Fairhope Bible study group, the two were determined to help the homeless in a big way. Inge looked into Waterfront Rescue Mission, a shelter and recovery program for homeless men. Their query to the mission's public relations administrator, Reta Barnes, was memorable: "We want to know about your shelter, because we want to help raise money for it." With the mission's blessing, Inge and Minton invited authors Hall and Moore to Mobile and planned an event called "A New Season." Donors received a lunch of typical shelter fare and a riveting speech from the book's authors. The project raised $150,000 last year. This year's fundraiser, held in November, featured speaker Mike Yankoski, author of "Under the Overpass." {HOW YOU CAN HELP} To volunteer or make a donation, contact Barnes at 433-1847 or visit waterfrontmission.org. Waterfront Rescue Mission also serves the area with Bargain Centers in Foley and Pensacola. Donations of reusable household items and clothing are welcome. Image information: Main: James Nelson carries food to the home of a Meals on Wheels participant. Left: Dorothy Sayers anticipates her meal from Meals on Wheels and the company of the volunteers who deliver it. Center: The Haven helps hundreds of dogs and cats find new homes each year. Right: Maurice Paraham volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House of Mobile. "I always wanted to give back, and this is my way," Paraham says, as he dishes up plates of barbecued ribs, baked beans and corn salad. Photos by Mehrdad Vaghefi