Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Small Talk: A visit with Meals on Wheels
Saturday columnist Bill Rettew Jr. goes along for a day with a Meals on Wheels volunteer.
There’s something nice about having a hot meal delivered, but it’s even better when it arrives with a smile.
Jeff Hall has been delivering meals and a little bit of chit-chat to the homebound in Northern Chester County for seven years.
Meals on Wheels is a volunteer-based nonprofit serving those confined to their homes due to advanced age, illness or disability.
In the past, volunteers have called 911 when someone falls ill or slips.
“Our typical client is elderly and has a degenerative medical/physical condition and lives on a very limited income with little family support,” said Jeani D. Purcell, director of Meals on Wheels of Chester County.
“This makes the value of a visit from our volunteers even more valuable. We’re there as a safety check, with a friendly smile.”
Meals on Wheels of Chester County uses 14 different food vendors. The food made at Tal Hai Retirement Home near Honey Brook looked appetizing.
Last Wednesday, Hall delivered an appetizing meal where the main course was turkey and green beans. If a client doesn’t enjoy something specific like spinach or beets, staffers at Tal Hai tailor the menu to an individual’s taste.
We visited 98-year old Eleanor Warriner. Her home is full of memories.
Hall and Warriner talked easily, like the old buddies they are. She asked about the weather. He said she always wants to know. They also talked about flowers, including her daughter’s lilacs.
We had a chance to hear Warriner sing and we spent about 10 minutes chatting.
Charley Oakman’s home was the sixth and final stop on Hall’s Wednesday route. Hall said the last visit of the day is usually the longest.
Oakman said the food is good and the two exchanged comical barbs.
“You can only believe about 6 percent of what Charlie says,” Hall said with a smile.
Oakman and the drivers often talk current events.
“They sit down and we straighten the world out,” Oakman said. “We talk a little bit about everything.”
Last year, Meals on Wheels of Chester County delivered 91,000 meals to 744 people. Seventeen percent of Chester County residents are 60 years of age or older.
It costs about $1,000 per year to feed a client a mid-day meal through the mostly volunteerled organization.
Purcell said Meals on Wheels helps homebound residents stay in their homes longer, while serving healthy meals.
“The benefits of good nutrition provide increased mental acuteness, resistance to illness and disease, and faster recuperation from illness,” Purcell said. “Seniors benefit from the daily face-to-face contact with our volunteers.”
Hall is a substitute driver and knows his routes. With one client he taps on the window. For a wheelchair-bound client he lovingly places the food in a cooler on the porch.
As a bonus, he drives along some of the prettiest countryside you’ll ever see.
“I used to be pretty shy,” Hall said. “I love people. It’s not a job. It’s helping them. It’s opened my eyes a lot – just to see how people live.”
When not delivering, he regularly visits hospitalized clients and those moving into nursing homes. Hall occasionally attends a funeral.
“It’s a lifeline, a social thing and a good meal,” Hall said about Meals on Wheels. “I’ll call an emergency contact if someone isn’t there. When a client doesn’t answer the door, Hall won’t leave until he’s called the emergency contact.
“They’ll put a note, or cooler, out if they don’t want to answer the door,” he said. The 71-yearold volunteers his time and the former Meals on Wheels treasurer pays for his own gas. Hall worked in risk management and as a property insurance broker.
Hall’s mother received Meals on Wheels, as did my grandmother. Oftentimes my grandmother saved enough food to enjoy two meals from one delivery.
I recently wrote an article about proposed cuts in federal funding that might impact Meals on Wheels. Purcell was concerned but said it was too early to know what might happen.
“In 2016, we delivered 24 percent more meals over the prior year, and in total, client donations were approximately 50 percent of the cost of meals delivered,” Purcell said. “In some areas of the county, client donations were less than 20 percent of the meal costs. More than ever, we are seeking help from the community.”
For more information on Meals on Wheels, go to www. mowcc.org, or call 610-4308500.
Bill Rettew Jr. is Chester County resident and weekly columnist. He also doesn’t like beets and spinach. You can read the first five chapters of his travel novel, “Chasing the American Dream,” for free at Amazon. You may email him at brettew@dailylocal.com