Here's your chance to perform good deeds

Time flies when you're having fun. Can it actually be May already? Where did the month of April go? More importantly, what happened to my April column that was due about three weeks ago?

I wish I could proclaim that I had won the lottery and have been so busy paying bills and shopping that I forgot this column was due. Maybe I could say I had a wardrobe malfunction, but that would just bring giggles from those of you who have actually seen me! I could possibly blame it on Buddy, our knuckle-headed dog, and say that he ate the column; hence, its failure to appear in print.

However, the truth is I got busy with classes, taxes, church, and life in general, and just did not get it researched and written when I should have. I humble myself before you and dutifully accept my punishment. You can shake your head at me, sigh when you hear my name, cluck your tongue in my direction, or even worse, call my mom and tell her how disappointed you are with me. Go ahead; I deserve it!

Thank goodness no one needs to take to task the group of people about whom I'm writing. They are organized, always on time, friendly, helpful, and the bearers of wonderful smelling, tasty, home cooked meals each day. In fact, they seem to have nothing in common with me whatsoever! They are the wonderful volunteers behind the Meals on Wheels program.

Meals on Wheels is a volunteer effort that delivers well-balanced, nutritious, hot meals to the homebound every noon, Monday through Friday. There are currently 60 individuals who receive these meals in their home. It was meant to be a temporary service, bringing in food to those who are sick or just home from the hospital. However, many of the recipients have been on the program for years. Organizers believe that almost one-third of those who receive these meals would not be able to stay in their homes without this service.

Meals on Wheels began in the early 1970s in the basement of Memorial United Methodist Church. Women in the church cooked the meals and delivered them to elderly shut-ins in McCook. The program was so popular, and so desperately needed, that it soon outgrew the church's ability to run it. A board of directors was formed to supervise the project and a new facility was sought for the effort.

The Eagles club generously allowed the group to use their kitchen free of charge. Evelyn Haag was the cook, and cranked out those wonderful meals for which she was famous. Leona Wilson took over the task of calling and lining up volunteer drivers. Funding was obtained from the United Way, private donations, and payment from Social Services for their clients.

In 1991, the Meals on Wheels program was turned over to the city of McCook and is run through the Senior Citizens' Center. It is a good match; the center has an excellent facility and staff with which to plan and prepare the meals. If any of you have eaten lunch at the Senior Center, you know how good the food is. The staff also lines up the volunteers who deliver the meals each day.

Just how important are these meals to those who receive them? I talked to some people who just recently started getting the meals to find out their reactions. Carol Samway was injured in a fall two months ago and has had problems with her vision ever since. Right now, she is restricted from driving and has a hard time seeing to fix her own meals. Carol says she did not want to be a burden and ask her kids to cook for her all the time. Meals on Wheels has filled a real need for her at this point in time. Carol reports that the meals are well-balanced and delicious and help her to be more independent. Carol is hoping that she will soon get the OK to drive again, which will enable her to stop the meals. Nevertheless, she is very grateful that they are available and reports they have really helped her out during this trying time.

Jack and Betty Hendrix started with Meals on Wheels earlier this year. Betty is in a wheelchair, and Jack was in the hospital in February with back problems. Right now, it's hard for them to prepare meals, so they called Meals on Wheels to start delivery to their home. The couple fix a light lunch for themselves and save the heartier Meals on Wheels delivery for their evening dinner. Betty was very familiar with the program since her mother, Rachel Parker, used to be a driver, and Betty herself has helped with calling for volunteers. They are grateful for the meals and its fast, dependable delivery during the week.

Marie Coffey has logged many miles as a deliverer for Meals on Wheels. When she was an elementary music teacher, Marie and her husband, Ken, would deliver meals during the summer when she was not teaching.

Now that she is retired and Ken is deceased, Marie can be found driving for Meals on Wheels year-round. Marie says it's a wonderful opportunity to see people she has known for years and get a chance to visit with them. If she reads the name of a good friend on her delivery list, she will save them for last so she can stay and visit for a while. Marie is quick to point out that volunteering as a driver does more good for her than for the ones that receive the meals. I have a feeling some of them might disagree with her about that!

A program like Meals on Wheels just would not be able to exist without all its dedicated workers and volunteers. There is such a need for this program in McCook and so many elderly, disabled, and sick residents have come to depend on it. It serves as a lifeline for many of them, bringing a warm meal and a friendly smile in the middle of a long day.

There is an opportunity for you readers to participate as a driver for Meals on Wheels. There are currently four volunteer and one paid route drivers each day. There is such a growing demand for the meals that another route could be added if enough people volunteered to help. Wednesday is a difficult day to find enough drivers for the current routes, so there is a special need there as well.

What does it take to be a Meals on Wheels driver? It requires a car (duh!), valid driver's license (another duh), the ability to know your way around McCook, and less than an hour of your time. There are usually 10 deliveries on a route. The meals are picked up at the Senior Center in hot and cold coolers, and you are given a list of deliveries to make. At each stop, you take the meal inside and check to make sure the recipient is there and doing OK. If someone is not home, the meal is left anyway and you make a note of it so that the Center can call and make sure that person is okay and finds their food.

I know everyone seems to have a very full schedule, but take a few minutes to see if you can't find an hour some day during the week to deliver these much needed meals. If you are a little hesitant about what is involved, you can ride along with one of the regular volunteers and see how it's done. Maybe you will be lucky enough to team up with Marie!

To sign up to be a volunteer, you can call the Senior Citizen's Center at (308) 345-1760 or (308) 345-6098. It might seem like such a small thing to do, but it means so much to those who get the meals. Also, please take some time to read the names of the volunteer drivers that are listed under the "Calendar of Events" here in the Gazette. I am sure they would appreciate a warm thank you the next time you see them on the street.