Volunteer Highlight: Simran Mann
BY AYLIN ISMAYILOVA
Simranjot “Simran” Mann was a dedicated student volunteer in the Bonner Community Scholars Program at The College of New Jersey, committing all four years of college to serving with Meals on Wheels of Mercer County (MOWMC).
Simranjot “Simran” Mann, a 21-year-old graduate of The College of New Jersey’s Nursing Program, is a lifelong resident of Mercer County and a proud member of the Hightstown community. As a follower of the Sikh faith, Simran has been deeply committed to community service from a young age.
Through her involvement with her local Gurdwara (place of worship), she has regularly participated in langar, a tradition in which free, hot meals are prepared and shared with anyone in need, regardless of background. Langar represents the Sikh principles of equality, service, and community, with volunteers cooking, serving, and dining together while seated on the floor as a symbol of humility and unity. Simran has brought that same spirit of compassion and service to her work with Meals on Wheels of Mercer County.
MOWMC was Simran's top pick when choosing her volunteer site at Bonner, she said. Though her nursing schedule didn't align with MOWMC's delivery hours, Simran opted to work from the back-end of the organization — assisting staff in everyday tasks.
“That’s how I got into the office and I really knew everyone at a deeper, personal level compared to my other colleagues who were Bonners at Meals on Wheels,” Simran explained. “And there, I was able to really explore my interests of ‘how does food insecurity relate to health overall.’”
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Through her work at MOWMC, Simran was able to explore that connection and learn outside of the classroom. Working closely with Ruth Todd, the Program Director at MOWMC, she assisted in conducting biannual wellness checks for meal recipients.
With Ruth’s guidance, she was able to jumpstart the Nutrition Education Program, in which they sent out educational brochures on health and wellness related topics to MOWMC participants. In addition to that, Simran contributed to administrative work around the office to ensure daily efficiency. Through this experience, Simran was able to learn more about the senior population of Mercer County through interacting with participants and seeing the common health trends among seniors admitted to the hospital.
One of Simran’s main projects included Beats for Souls, a music therapy program established by her and a colleague at Bonner. The program was designed for seniors who lived with Alzihmer's and Dementia.
The students ordered iPods and downloaded songs according to the participants' preferences and the families' instructions. Simran played a key role in identifying the elders who qualified for this music therapy program, as well as surveying which songs should be in their personal playlists. In total, there were six MOWMC participants in the Beats for Souls program.
“Some of them were the wedding songs of the participants, so that was really nice to see them (MOWMC participants) vibe to that and help rekindle those moments that could easily be lost in the day-to-day strides of daily life,” Simran said. “When a mental illness takes over, it can be very straining.”
One of the biggest challenges her program faced was the quick turnover of the participants, many wouldn’t stay at MOWMC for long due to health complications that arose. Though the music therapy program was not suitable for a program like Meals on Wheels, it was a pleasant experience for the families that got to experience it, the staff at MOWMC that got to witness it and Simran, who managed to brighten up a couple of lives with an idea.
One of the biggest takeaways for Simran from her experience at MOWMC was that it gave her purpose as she navigated through her nursing studies. Meals on Wheels is more than just a meal, it’s a smile, she recalled.
“There’s other ways you can help support the participants of Meals on Wheels,” Simran said. “You can be creative and use your assets to benefit Meals on Wheels. It doesn’t have to be just meal delivery.”