It’s official. Our first Meals on Wheels delivery is on the calendar, and the good people over at Metro Meals on Wheels have guided me to their new handbook for families, created in partnership with Doing Good Together.

We’ve been looking to volunteer out in the community (as opposed to all of our Kitchen Table efforts), and Meals on Wheels seems like a great fit. The time commitment is surprisingly small, only an hour and  a half every three weeks. The girls will learn about people in our own neighborhood who need our help to have nutritious meals. Plus, they will spend more time with an older generation, a helpful thing for kids who live too far from their great-grandparents.

The handbook for parents is invaluable. Full of discussion questions and easily understood facts about nutrition, aging, and the importance of community service.

The girls and I made a practice delivery to dad, using the helpful “Checklist for Starting Out.” We knocked loudly, waited patiently, used our best smiles and greetings at the door, and handed over a homemade card. Of course, this was all very easy with dad. I hope they can be as cheerful and brave with the people on our route.

Our daughters recently spent time back in our hometown, at a big, multi-generational family gathering. My five-year-old hadn’t said a word about that experience until I brought up aging as part of a Meals on Wheels conversation.  Suddenly she was full of questions about great-grandpa’s walker. She called it a stroller at first, since no one had given her the correct word, and she was clearly worried about it. Afraid of it even.

I felt terrible that we hadn’t been more thoughtful about the issue of difference and respect before. Thanks to Meals on Wheels, we had a big conversation about all of the things great-grandpa can do, like play the violin and sing and fix bicycles even though his legs don’t work perfectly. She was so excited she told her friend down the street about how many things her great-grandpa can do.

Even before our first delivery, Meals on Wheels has enriched our lives. I hope we can do the same for the people we will serve.

What are your experiences with Meals on Wheels?

Did you volunteer with your own parents as a child? Have you brought your children recently?

Tags: Improving Lives, Meals on Wheels

About Sarah

Sarah Aadland is striving to make family volunteering a meaningful habit for her two preschoolers. Join the conversation as she ponders what they may (or may not have) learned and looks for helpful information about raising compassionate kids.Though she plans to one day put her Masters in Public Policy back to work for social justice, she sees family volunteering as a way to build a stronger community, a better world, and a more connected family. In addition to her children, Sarah tends a large garden, a small flock of chickens, and a habit of mindfulness amid the necessary rituals of parenting.

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