MOW
Delivering Food and Greetings

Written by Luz Leigh 04 April 2007

      Please join me for Meals on Wheels (MOW). Each Tuesday and Thursday morning I meet my friend Jane as we prepare to deliver MOW to about eleven senior citizens in our little town. The meals, prepared by workers at the senior center in a nearby town, are packed in insulated containers for the hot meals and coolers that contain the milk. The food is then delivered to a central point here. Other volunteers deliver to clients out in the county.

      We load the cooler and container in the trunk of my car and off we go. At the first stop, we are greeted at the front door where a caregiver for Bill and Marty take the little aluminum plates and cartons of two percent milk. That 2% milk really cracks me up….are we afraid these old folks will get fat? The caregiver sees to the needs of these two people who can no longer do much more than get around the house with walkers. Marty can no longer talk following a stroke.

      It is good that we arrive at Vera’s home when we do; otherwise, she would not remember to eat. She lives alone, but really should have someone to check on her daily. She is slowly drying up, ready to blow away if a hard gust of wind strikes. Her family and adult protective services can see no reason to change the way she lives…..ALONE. She smiles, thanks us for the meal and always cautions us to be careful. Breaks my heart that no one seems to care about this little lady.

      Our next stop will find Beth sitting at the dining table and Richard asleep on a nearby couch. No matter what time we arrive, Beth will be in her usual place, smiling and gently clapping her hands, like a child excited over a new toy. Their caregiver meets us at the door sometimes; other days we invite ourselves in so we may place the food on the table. Beth smiles, nods and tries to ask a question. Because she suffered a stroke years ago, it is hard to understand what she is saying, so the caregiver interprets for her. I hug her little body and tell her we must be going. She smiles. 

      Mrs. Linden always keeps her door securely locked, so we have time to admire the flowers growing in her neighbor’s yard while we wait for her to unlock the door in response to our knock. Mrs. Linden is confined to a wheelchair and seldom ventures outside her home. When we inquire as to how she is today, it’s always the same. She is sleepy because she did not sleep well the night before. Her apartment is always neat and clean. She has a caregiver who comes in for a couple hours each morning. We look at the jigsaw puzzle she is working on, comment on the weather and bid her goodbye. We hear the sound of the lock on the door as she secures herself in her lonely existence.

      We can count on Mrs. Price to be doing her best to get to the door at the same time we do. She sits in her chair where she can see the walkway to her apartment, but because she is disabled, sometimes we win the race to the door. Jane brings books for her to read, so they chat a minute about certain books or authors. Then we must move on.

      Wanda is the youngest of our clients. She has physical problems that have caused her to enter early retirement. She is pleasant and likes for us to comment on the small flower bed next to her front door. If her neighbors are not home on MOW day, she always agrees to keep their meals and see that the food gets to the proper neighbor. We never enter her apartment because she, too, watches for us and meets us at the door. In warm weather she has her door standing wide open; says she loves the smell of spring.

      Oh, you will get a kick of the next client. Ted is an alcoholic with lots of physical problems. But he still fashions himself to be a ladies’ name. He has never been rude or gotten out of line, but Jane has no patience with him. I, on the other hand, humor him. For weeks following Halloween, he gave us suckers or lollipops, saying something like, “sweets for the sweet.” Jane took hers grudgingly; I just thanked him and took his gift, knowing we would be passing the candy along to another client.

      Prudence is our most recent client. Her apartment is fitted with a metal handicap ramp leading to the front door. When one steps in a certain spot, the sheet metal sort of pops, announcing that someone is approaching the door. Prudence has lots of pot plants outside the door. This week she showed us her new pet….an eight-week old puppy. Looks a little like a bulldog. Her grown son, who works nights, lives with her. She always meets us at the door and talks quietly for a few minutes so we will not disturb her sleeping son.

      Last on our route is little Mrs. Watson, and I do mean little. She loves to get a hug, and give one in return, so before we take the food out, we each give and get a big hug. She has a hearing problem, but the sweet smile on her face tells us she knows what we are saying. She, too, always has some sort of parting words for us, usually for us to be good. Sometimes the center packs an extra meal. If that happens, we leave it with her. She is so appreciative. And the candy from Ted? Because we know she is not diabetic, we leave it with Mrs. Watson.

      We place the empty containers in the trunk of my car and return to our starting point. Again, we have managed to deliver our meals while they were still hot and the milk was still cold. More than delivering food, we have brought a few minutes of “outside world” to some of these folks. I know they welcome the food, but I think we would be just as welcome if we showed up just for a visit. 

To protect the privacy of individuals, the names have been changed.