Ed Davids “inherited” his volunteer position from his mom, Cathie. Cathie had been a Meals on Wheels delivery volunteer for Milestone Senior Services for years and would occasionally ask Ed to sub for her when either she or her delivery partner could not do it. Cathie retired from volunteering when she was 95 years old, and at that point Ed took over her route.
Ed is semi-retired and wanted to do something meaningful to fill his time; he now volunteers for Milestone Senior Services as an AmeriCorps Volunteer. AmeriCorps is the federal agency connecting individuals and organizations through service and volunteering to tackle the nation’s most pressing challenges. Since he had been subbing for his mom occasionally, it was natural for him to get more involved with volunteering with Milestone’s Meals on Wheels program. In fact, he enjoys it so much he now does his route two days each week.
Ed knows how fortunate his mom was to remain as healthy and active as she did well into her nineties. Being a Meals on Wheels volunteer has certainly highlighted the fact that that is not everyone’s reality. Milestone Senior Services’ Home Delivered Meals program (or Meals on Wheels) operates Monday through Friday throughout all of Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties. providing meals to older adults and adults with disabilities who are unable to access adequate nutrition for themselves.
Volunteering has also given Ed an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend. Ed recruited Kurt – a friend he has knows since they were 8 years old – to partner with him on his route. In addition to providing a great service in their community, Ed and Kurt have time to chat and keep their long-time friendship going. Kurt isn’t the only volunteer Ed has recruited – he has persuaded several others to volunteer with Milestone as well.
Because Ed visits the Meals on Wheels customers on his route twice each week, he has gotten to know them. He knows which ones have trouble getting out and will often grab their mail and bring it to them with their meal. Ed said, “For the most part, these are all great people, and some of them don’t get out or have visitors, so they’re just happy to see someone smiling and brightening their day.” He always has dog biscuits in his pocket to share with the furry residents on his route who are equally happy to see him.
The route doesn’t change much, but occasionally customers drop off the route or new ones are added. One day Ed had a new stop on his route and when he went to the door, he realized it was someone he’d graduated high school with. Ed said, “You never know who you might meet – when you’ve lived in the same community for a long time, you’re bound to run into people you know.”
If you are interested in learning more about volunteering, contact Milestone’s Volunteer Services Coordinator at 269-382-0515 or visit our Volunteer Services page. Milestone facilitates the AmeriCorps Seniors’ RSVP program which places volunteers age 55 and older at various nonprofits throughout Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties. Call for more information about how you can get started giving back to your community.
