Roughly half the area's homebound seniors went without noon meals today as a result of a strike that caught the area off guard.

Council on Aging directors said that by utilizing paid drivers and city hall office workers, they expected to get the so-called Meals on Wheels to a larger percentage of participants tomorrow. Some meal deliveries will inevitably be missed and family members were being encouraged to pick up meals at senior centers.

Homeless and low-income residents had even less access to their usual supplies of food. The strike completely shut down the area's food kitchens and affected a number of food-distribution pantries.

Health care was compromised, though not to a dangerous extent as yet, spokesmen said. Hardly any of the strikers are involved in direct care, but some of the tasks they perform - delivering medical documents was one example mentioned - could have a ripple effect and slow down the entire delivery system if left undone too long.

"A protracted strike would be critical. It may not be an exaggeration to say it could be a life and death matter in some instances," said one hospital worker. "But the immediate effects are already being felt. The strikers got chores done that weren't essential, but that made this a more cheerful, less stressful place. It's gloomy without them." The gloom extended into most homes with school-age children. Due to the strike, all youth recreational activities have been canceled. Schools were also described as less than cheerful - as with hospitals, non-essential tasks weren't getting done. Tutors were unavailable. Book stacking in media centers was already falling behind.

Economic development officials were asking for cool heads to prevail and for the strike to reach a speedy end. Otherwise, the costs could be very high.

How high depends in part on whether planning boards and other unpaid municipal agencies participate. If they do, some new construction would be prevented, while other projects might be allowed by default. The key question is whether the officials will think of themselves first as public servants or as volunteers.

This strike by Attleboro area volunteers was the first anywhere on the planet.

And, of course, it didn't happen.

To the contrary, Thursday will be observed as Volunteer Day in the City of Attleboro. You can count on the council chambers at city hall being full for ceremonies at 10:30 a.m. Then, at noon, some 250 volunteers will be treated to dinner at the Elks Hall.

That's only one out of 20 of the 5,000 volunteers that Sturdy Memorial Hospital and its partners in sponsoring Volunteer Day say have lent them a hand in the past year. As impressive as that number sounds, it is almost all in the health and human services field. And around the Sun Chronicle area, youth sports, scouting, religious activities, the arts and environmental causes are all dependent on volunteers for their survival.

Most non-profits are reliant on volunteers for fundraising help, at a minimum. The members of service clubs who raise funds for a wealth of causes are club members first, but they're functioning as volunteers. And the emergency response teams you'll be relying on in the event of the unthinkable? Yup, there's a lot of volunteers in their number.

And there's been a lot of good news on the volunteer front. Getting ready for the annual Special Olympics on May 7, Attleboro High School needed 250 volunteers - 350 signed up. And this is in keeping with a nationwide trend toward greater volunteerism by children.

Voluntarism has been on an upward trend in Massachusetts, although it dipped this year and the state is ranked 34th among the 50 - nothing to brag about - in participation as volunteers. Thursday's ceremony and luncheon are part of a grand tradition in the city. This is the 22nd consecutive time volunteers have been honored in April in such a public way.

But if you really want to appreciate volunteers, think about what life would be like without them. Think about the seniors who rely on volunteer Meals on Wheels deliveries and the volunteers who answer their calls at Operation Telephone Reassurance. Think of the young athletes who would have no coaches. Or scout leaders. Think of the parks and libraries who would lose their "friends" organizations. Think of the non-readers who would have no tutors. Think...

You get the picture. We could probably live without volunteers. But not very well.

MARK FLANAGAN is Opinion Page editor of The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0335 or by e-mail to mflanagan@thesunchronicle.com.