Pima Meals on Wheels Ride Along Experience
Contributed by Jocelyn, our PCOA Marketing Intern:
Getting to experience the Meals on Wheels ride along was something that I will remember for a long time. I think too often we hear only about the bad things going on in the community, but getting the opportunity to ride along with Meals on Wheels showed me one of the wonderful and meaningful things going on in the community every day. Before starting at PCOA I had been aware of the Meals on Wheels organization, but I did not truly understand how deeply and positively they impacted the community around me. It was clear to see how passionate everyone that I encountered was about making a positive difference in the community.
On the day of my ride along I met one of the Meals on Wheels drivers Brenda, who I had the opportunity to shadow for the day. Brenda explained that her day as a Meals on Wheels driver starts at 7:00am and she prepares her truck to go to the foodbank at 8:15am. Once at the foodbank, all drivers collect the food that they will be delivering for that day. I had a great time watching and gathering footage at the foodbank. It was wonderful to see how the drivers interacted with one another and with the foodbank workers. They treated each other like family and there was such a sense of warmth, comfort, and respect between them all. You could feel the sense of passion that every single person worked with, and it was obvious that they cared deeply about the work that they did and the community that they served. This familial sense of warmth carried itself through each of the drivers to the older adults who received meals at home too. Talking with Brenda about how she approaches her job and having the opportunity to understand her heart for working at Meals on Wheels was truly wonderful. She spoke about these people with such respect and treated them like family. She told me that though she has no grandparents of her own that each one of these clients fills that role for her in some way, that they are truly like family to her. When I asked her what the most meaningful part about her job was, she told me that she loved the look of happiness on the faces of every client when they open the door and see her, and to know that she is helping make sure that they are not forgotten.
After my ride along with Meals on Wheels, it was clear to see the way Brenda values her position, and the role she plays in enriching the lives of the individuals she encounters every day. Brenda told me that she had been offered office positions within Meals on Wheels but turned them down because she loves the contact with clients. Watching Brenda interact with her peers and her clients was absolutely wonderful and it showed me the way that these drivers are actively living out the mission of Meals on Wheels, to serve local communities and ensure that older adults living within them feel nourished and seen.