It’s sad to think that we have members of our community who only have one guaranteed meal a day, but if you are in prison you have three meals a day. Thankfully, Memphis has MIFA’s Meals on Wheels program. The Meals on Wheels program is MIFA’s largest program. With the help of 100 volunteers, 1,800 hot, nutritious, lunches are served to homebound elderly and seniors.
My route today was in the Binghampton area. I drive through this community at least once a week, never to stop and think about the people in the houses or walking down the street. After today, I will think about all the smiling and grateful people I met in this community. Knock after knock, house after house, I was able to serve a hot meal. There was only one house on my route that there was no answer to my knock. The unanswered knock has resonated in my thoughts all day, wondering about who lives on the other side of the door. My hope is this resident was out with a family member or friend eating a meal. My prayer is that this resident ate today. My fear and worry is that this resident relies on this meal, are they hungry?
As we continued along our route to more houses, the car began to fill with the delicious smell of the food in the coolers. My stomach began to rumble and I started to think about what I would have for lunch today, having already eaten breakfast. Do the recipients of Meals on Wheels have this same luxury? I wonder if they have a family member, friend, or neighbor come by and help them with breakfast and dinner. Much of my weekend is consumed with eating out at my favorite Memphis restaurants. Who helps the homebound elderly prepare meals on the weekend or do they go hungry?
My day was made brighter after leaving each house. I was always thanked profusely, and even had one woman say “bless you child.” Seeing their faces light up at the smell of the meal is something I will never forget. Some of the individuals were chatty and made me want to sit on their couch and just talk, while some were quiet or had family members or aids at their home. I felt like I was doing something for them, but I left each doorstep with a smile to match theirs.
Thank you for reading! Iām searching for a job as a Dental Hygienist. If you know of a great fit, please send it our way: jobleads@volunteerodyssey.com or to aliciawooten@gmail.com
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