Meals For Me volunteer driver delivers hot food, smiles

Snow mixed with sleet fell softly on Sue Everett’s windshield and a winter storm advisory was in effect. This did not deter her, however, from completing her appointed rounds. No, Sue is not a mail carrier. She is a dedicated volunteer driver for the Meals for Me program. Her mission? Delivering hot, nutritious noontime meals to homebound elderly.

Sue decided she needed a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning, when she retired a few years ago. Volunteering fit the bill. Now, every Thursday, she packs up her trunk and off she goes, spreading some joy along the way.

“I’ve had a wonderful life and just wanted to give back,” she said. “And I have always loved the elderly.”

The elderly is a big population, but because many are forced to stay home and can’t get out in public, they don’t have much visibility, she adds.

“They are just trying to live in their own homes and they are doing the best they can,” she said. “And they don’t want to be a burden on others but many need help getting their medicine and groceries.”

For many of those who are homebound, the meal is secondary to the visit from the volunteer. Sue delivered 17 meals the day I joined her and everyone greeted her with a broad smile when she appeared on their doorstep. They all asked the same question – what did you bring us today?

Sue brings a little more to the job than her love of the elderly and her enthusiasm. Being an excellent baker, she whips up a little something special every week.

Max, 95, who lost his wife of 72 years last summer, certainly enjoys seeing her car pull in his driveway. So does his cat, Nekko, whose gaze darts between Max and Sue.

Max’s favorite meal is baked beans, and, realizing that is what’s on tap for today, he breaks into a large grin. He also comments on the “delicious fudge” she brought the week before.

“I’d be living out of tin cans and paper bags if it weren’t for Meals for Me,” he said. “There’s just junk in my fridge.”

The home delivery program is the only thing that keeps some elderly independent. They are assured of having one hearty, well-balanced meal Monday through Friday. Some receive frozen meals for weekend consumption. Breakfast is available upon request.

“The volunteers really do bring more than a meal,” said Gail Ward, director of nutrition at Eastern Agency on Aging. “Sometimes the delivery person is the only human contact the elderly person will have all day. They look forward to exchanging a few words and smiles.”

The only criteria for receiving a home-delivered meal is that the person be 60 years of age or older, homebound, unable to prepare meals and have no one to cook for them on a regular basis. There is no income guideline for this program.

“It is frustrating sometimes because people who may want or need the program don’t use it because they think it is for low-income only,” Ward said.

“This is simply not true. Anyone, 60-plus, regardless of income or assets, can participate in the Meals for Me program in one form or another, be it the dining rooms or home delivery,” she said. “In fact, we encourage it.”

Ward said she has no idea where the notion of low-income only came from, but she is determined to dispel the myth.

“The dining rooms are so much fun for everyone, and we’d love to see more people there and anyone who qualifies for home delivery should be getting it,” she said. “Income is not a factor at all, and of course we are always looking for more volunteers.”

Dorothy, 86, started getting home-delivered meals because her daughter was concerned that she wasn’t eating properly.

“She was afraid that I was eating too much candy and not enough healthy foods,” she said. Now, Dorothy has a nutrient-packed meal at noon. “But don’t you worry, I still get a little candy,” she says with a laugh.

Sue’s eyes sparkle as she listens to her “friends” talk about the Meals for Me program. It’s a good match. It’s also a family affair.

While Sue delivers on the west side of town, her husband, Al Ross, delivers on the east side. They meet after their meal runs back at the Bangor kitchen in the Freese’s building.

“I just knew that I was onto something when I decided that volunteering here would be a good thing for us to do, don’t you agree?” said Sue, smiling at her husband.

“Oh, I thought it was my idea,” he said, smiling back.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging. For more information on Meal for Me, call Gail Ward at 941-2865 or check the Web site at www.eaaa.org.