Citymeals-On-Wheels Delivers A Difference

          Giving back to the community is an experience that you remember for a lifetime. Putting smiles on people’s faces I consider to be my duty as a human being. Not all of our lives are “fresh cut roses.” We have to ask ourselves, “How can I help my community with the power I hold in my hands?” If you really want to see or make a difference in your community, you have to be the one person to come forth and show those who feel God and the rest of the world has given up on them that you are still there fighting for their futures.

            It’s a different feeling to volunteer because you have to, than to volunteer because you want to. A person that goes out of their way to help, no matter how small, is a person that influences others positively, as well as a person who outshines all others. Our communities are places we respect highly because we live there, share memories, gather with family and friends and discover who we are. Our communities make us who we are and we must take the time out of our busy schedules to give back to them as much as we can.

            Citymeals On-Wheels is one of the largest Meals-On-Wheels programs in the United States. Citymeals serves 1.8 million meals to over 16,500 elderly people in New York. In 2011, more than 1,200 volunteers spent about 42,000 hours giving back to the elderly. The volunteers are there to talk and serve meals to homebound seniors that are left alone on holidays or are not able to cook for themselves any longer. There are 31 community-based agencies in New York and all are 100% dedicated to giving their time to raising money, to eventually give it back in food preparation and meals to the elderly.

            Gael Greene and James Beard founded Citymeals-on-Wheels in 1981 after reading an article about homebound seniors who were home on weekends and holidays with nothing to eat. The program’s first effort dates back 30 years to when 6,000 senior citizens received meals due to the program’s volunteers, who raised enough government funding as well as private funding in order to keep the program running.

            I volunteered at one of the Meals-On-Wheels sites at an elementary school on Thanksgiving Day of 2011 in New York City. It was quite an experience because not only did I help host, I was also able to walk around and talk to people triple my age and realized that no matter what someone’s age is you can still have so much in common with them. The elderly told me stories of their lives when they were in their twenties and they told them with great enthusiasm. Some lived quiet responsible lives and others lived wild adventurous lives, but each time I heard a new story I couldn’t help but smile because I could see that all they needed was for someone to listen and be there for them when they were alone.

            You can make a difference if you choose to listen, and then act. Also, these types of service programs in local communities are not established overnight. They first start with a person or a group of people that are motivated and together are able to unite and develop something worth fighting for. For example, look at Citymeals On-Wheels the idea of it all comes from a regular day event of reading the newspaper which turned into a program that raises millions of dollars each year to feed the elderly. Just imagine if you put some thought into something like starting your own local service to help give back to your local community. It can start a breakthrough of an awareness that is most important to you and can capture your neighbors' attention as well.