Vera Felk-Spraetz looked forward to her weekly visits with the folks on her mini route just as much as the clients looked forward to her knock on their door each Wednesday. Then, everything changed.
The new distancing rules and the need for a mask wasn’t the hard part, Vera said. The hard part was and remains the inability to spend time with the people she has come to know and care for.
“That human contact is sometimes more important than the food,” said Vera, a three-year member of the YMOW volunteer team and YMOW’s volunteer of the quarter. “Right now, during the pandemic, I think it’s even more important.”
While she no longer can go inside to sit and visit, Vera still enjoys distanced chats with her YMOW clients. One woman in particular has a piece of Vera’s heart.
“She makes me smile,” she said of the 93-year-old on her route. “She’s somebody I look forward to seeing.”
Vera knows that a meal from Meals on Wheels provides more than lunch or dinner for a homebound neighbor. It provides peace of mind for the whole family.
“My parents had Meals on Wheels,” said Vera. Living a couple of hours from her parents, she took comfort in knowing that someone was checking in on them every day, and that they never had to worry about their next meal.
Vera said there’s no doubt that she benefits from Meals on Wheels, too. It’s brought her closer to her community and even more grateful for the many blessings in her life.
Her only regret, Vera said, is not starting sooner.