Meals on Wheels benefiting ‘neighbors’

0

Editor:

You do not have to live in Preble County long before you realize this is a special place that is made up of special folks. If you live inside this county, you are “a neighbor.” Just as the good books says, “love your neighbor as yourself,” that’s what we do!

One of those ways we love our neighbor is the Home Delivery Program, also known as “Meals on Wheels.” I was privileged to witness this firsthand as I rode alongside James Daugherty last week delivering meals. Every day from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., he along with others, is out on our roads, in all kinds of weather, delivering hot meals to our seniors that are home-bound.

But it is so much more than just delivering a meal. It’s a wellness check. As we entered each home, you could see that they were anxiously anticipating the visit. The seniors all knew James by name. He always asked how they were feeling and took time to chat with them a bit. One blind man had dropped his medication and asked James if he could help locate it. Sure enough, right there on the floor was the little pill. The man was so thankful. It reminded me that it’s the simple things in life that mean so much.

During our three hours on the road, we delivered around 30 meals and drove close to 55 miles. The Home Delivery Program delivers close to 120 meals a day and covers almost 200 miles in Preble County.

With funding cuts, the Home Delivery Program could use some neighbors. They always could use volunteers, too. But for just $600 a year you could Sponsor-a-Senior. That would provide them with a hot meal every weekday, which is 260 meals. It also has that bonus of a friendly face they can talk to every day. Call the Council on Aging at 937-456-4947 if you can Sponsor-a-Senior or volunteer. It’s just a neighborly thing to do!

Stephanie Garrett

West Alexandria

No posts to display