On Saturday, February 9th, 2019, I had the rewarding experience of visiting the Meals on Wheels division in Columbus as a delivery volunteer. Meals on Wheels America “is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger.” The organization seeks to aid the elderly by supplying nutritional meals that allow them to live more independently and with greater dignity. Additionally, transportation and mobility may be difficult for many people within any community.

Although I had originally signed up for this service event through my business fraternity, I was genuinely excited and interested in seeing first-hand what a volunteer at Meals on Wheels specifically did and in handling various clients around Columbus neighborhoods.

Upon arrival at the Meals on Wheels facility with my group of three other friends, we were instructed to fill out multiple forms, provide our IDs, and wait until further instructions along with other participating groups. Once the supervisor arrived, she explained all of the details and necessary knowledge before we went on our separate ways. It was interesting to find out that each client could have different meals delivered, such as hot or cold, different kinds of milk, juice, or bread. In addition, a master sheet that was given to use told us useful information about each client. For example, some clients were hard of hearing, so there would most likely be a note next to their name that would tell us to try knocking harder on their door or waiting longer than normal for them to open the door. Additionally, after every delivery, we would immediately call the next person to make sure they knew we were on our way to them and so that they could be more prepared.

My ultimate favorite part of the experience was truly meeting the people along the way. Although we only had to delivery to roughly eight different residences, not one person was rude, unkind, or unappreciative in any sort of way. Many of the clients were clearly old, poor, and/or not in the healthiest conditions, but they were surprisingly positive.

Many people said “thank you” multiple times, invited us inside their homes, smiled at us, and even told us how “young and beautiful” we were. It was also extremely interesting and eye-opening to see how those who are less fortunate live in areas of Columbus that are shockingly diverse, underprivileged, and dangerous, yet not necessarily far from notably nicer places in Columbus at the same time.

I highly recommend this form of community service to other IAers and college students. Not only is the task fairly simple and straightforward, but, as previously stated, it was extremely rewarding and even heartwarming to understand a new range of personal experiences from people one might not usually see or interact with on campus or at home. Meals on Wheels is constantly looking for drivers and delivery volunteers, so do not be afraid to sign up if time permits!