Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez, 83 and 76 of Devine, are so grateful to be among the senior citizens that Meals on Wheels is still able to serve. Having both had strokes, and Mr. Sanchez being legally blind, they said program has been a huge help as they shared their story with us this Tuesday.
By Kayleen Holder
Here in Medina County, we take care of our neighbors. Since 1977, volunteers have stepped up and delivered meals and a warm smile to homebound, elderly, and/or disabled residents in our community. This is made possible through a beautiful program called Meals on Wheels, which serves only our Senior Citizens. Unfortunately, the program has lost a large part of their sponsored funding, and as of this March, they have had to cease service to sixty senior citizens.
The program serves seniors who range from 60 all the way to105 years old–and an average of 76 years old.
“Due to losing some of our funding, we had to cut service to 60 seniors,” said Meals on Wheels Director Sharayah Gonzales. “All of our clients are elderly, homebound and/or disabled, so it was really tough having to make those cuts.”
Those 60 people were previously sponsored by ACCOG. With no other source of funding secured so far, the crew at Meals on Wheels were simply left with no other choice. Approximately 235 senior citizens had signed up to receive the delivery of frozen meals this past year, but now many of them are back on the waiting list among others who were already on that list.
“We now have approximately 100 people on the waiting list,” Gonzales said.
Thanks to a donation by the Red Cross and a generous citizen, they are able to deliver a few bags of shelf-stable meal items to those who are most in need, whil they are on the waiting list. ONE WAY YOU CAN HELP is by donating invidual -size food such as tuna w/ cracker sets, individual size oatmeal cups, or individual size soup cans that are ready to eat or microwave-ready or nutritious snacks like peanut butter crackers. You can take these to the Medina County Annex across from Tractor Supply or to The Devine News on Mondays & Tuesdays.
However, monetary donations and sponsorships are needed to get Meals on Wheels back in full swing.
“In the meantime, when we have an extra goodie bag, or extra food, we take it to the ones that need it most and let them know we are still thinking about them,” said one of the Meals on Wheels volunteers.
We had an opportunity to tag along on a couple of Meals on Wheels deliveries this week and talked with seniors about what the program means to them.
At the first stop we visited with Vietnam Veteran Glen Stewart, 79 of Devine.
“Meals on Wheels is a great program. The food is good and the employees and volunteers are courteous and polite. Living alone, it sure is appreciated. It saves me a lot of cooking, and I’m not a good cook. I lost my wife in December of 2023.”
Next we spoke with Mr. Albert Sanchez, 83, and his wife Oralia Sanchez, 76, of Devine, who have been receiving meals on wheels for about two years.
“We are both diabetic so we have to really watch what we eat,” Mrs. Sanchez said, so appreciative of the healthy meals which are prepared by dieticians. “I’m also not supposed to be driving much.”
Married 57 years, they held hands as they shared their story with us. “My husband and I both had a stroke, and he is legally blind, so I hold on to him and he holds on me!” Mrs. Sanchez said with a smile shortly after getting a delivery of meals. “We are grateful to have each other, and Meals on Wheels helps us a lot.”
“It’s a blessing,” Mr. Sanchez added. “It really is.”
The Medina County Meals on Wheels program was once funded by Medina County through its Nutrition Program. In 2015, it became a non-profit and began seeking funding from other organizations.
The funding cuts came without much warning said Client Coordinator Barbara Losack, who really hopes they can manage to get at least half of the clients on the waiting list, who are in the most need, back on the routes soon.
Until then, citizens are welcome to donate shelf-stable individual size items to help fill the gaps. These extra meals will be given to some of those in the most need who were cut from the routes when ACCOG reduced local funding from covering 110 people to 50.
How does Meals on Wheels work? Each volunteer takes on a “route” around one of the local communities such as Devine, Lytle, or Natalia, etc. once a week. They are always in need of more volunteers and now in great need of funding as well.
Volunteer Myra Waters, of Devine, said Meals on Wheels is near and dear to her heart. She has really enjoyed her time volunteering on one of the Devine routes where she usually takes meals to 15 elderly homebound or disabled residents–a route that’s now been cut to 4.
“So many of these people are in very hard circumstances, and they are just so grateful to get these little meals and glad to see someone’s face,” said Myra Waters, who volunteers on one of the routes around Devine. “It is a really good program, and I know the directors are doing everything they can.”
Jack Howard has been volunteering for about 9 years now, and he also shared a little about his experience hoping to encourage others to join in.
“I deliver about 11 sets of meals out in the country each week,” Howard said. “People really need the help, and they are all senior citizens that we are serving.”
Howard points out that along with donations, the program can always use more volunteers, and even back-up volunteers for when someone is out. And it’s a very rewarding program to be a part of.
“Meals on Wheels is really a worthwhile program. For me, volunteering takes about 3-4 hours once a week,” Howard said. “I think the ancient wisdom is: To surround yourself with intelligent people with good hearts–and that’s Meals on Wheels! It’s a great group of folks.”
Samantha Bryant says she looks forward to her Wednesday routes every week.
“My seniors are like family to me,” Bryant said. “It’s good company for them, and for me. We both get something out of it.”
She points out that Meals on Wheels volunteers are delivering more than just food.
“We might be the only person they see that week,” Bryant noted. “A lot of them have some family, but many don’t live nearby. I started volunteering after my dad passed away, and I really look forward to my route each Wednesday.”
She’s been volunteering over ten years, and has surely changed a lot of lives along the way.
“And my seniors have changed my life too,” Bryant said in reply.
If you are interested in helping with this effort, please contact Sharayah Gonzales or Barbara Losack at the office 830-741-6160. The office is open Monday-Thursday from 8am-1pm. Or you can email mealsandmore@medinaseniorcenter.org
You can also reach out to route coordinator Josh Wolfe on his cell at 830-931-5556. The program does accept donations of food from businesses. HEB commonly donates items from their bakery, which is much appreciated, for example.
Monetary Donations can also be mailed to PO Box 904, Hondo, TX 78861. NOTE: If you would like to donate specifically to the Meals on Wheels Program note that. They are also fundraising to make updates to their Senior Center in Hondo where they hope to eventually be able to prepare meals for the MOW routes themselves, but that is a separate fundraiser (see separate article).
The costs to sponsor these meals for a senior citizen for a week is $40. The cost to sponsor meals for a senior for 1 month is $174.00. Update on Hondo Senior Center
The building that served as one of the hubs of the Meals on Wheels program was hit hard by the 2021 snow storms, and after asbestos was discovered in the building, they could no longer operate there. The senior center was fortunate to be chosen as a recipient of a $526K grant through USDA with Congressman Gonzales’ help. However, that grant can only be used for the building–not for buying meals and delivering to Meals on Wheels clients.
It also took a while to secure a property that meets the requirements of the grant. Meals on Wheels Program Director Sharayah Gonzales said they are working toward opening up their new Senior Center in Hondo as soon as they can. The new senior center will be a place where seniors can come in and socialize and have a meal on-site as well. It will also once again serve as a hub for programs like Meals on Wheels.
“In phase three of the building plan, we hope to install a commercial kitchen with a goal of being able to cook our own meals again,” Gonzales said. “That’s the goal, to be able to deliver hot meals to our homebound residents like we used to do.”
There is a separate fundraising account set up for those wanting to contribute toward the new Hondo Senior Center.
Read about the possibility of re-opening the Devine Center on page 7.
Anyone interested in helping re-open Senior Center in Devine?
By Kayleen Holder
At some point, once they get past the hurdles of their current financial needs, Meals on Wheels Director Sharayah Gonzales said she would love to see Devine’s Senior Center re-opened. Volunteers and staff are already stretched thin, but we thought it worth mentioning in case anyone is interested in helping make this hope a reality once again.
Gonzales noted there is a lot that goes into re- opening a congregate senior center, and at the top of the list of needs would be consistent volunteers. Staff and current volunteers are spread thin already wearing multiple hats, and they would love to collaborate with anyone who would like to volunteer or help make this happen.
The room which was once Devine’s Senior Center is located inside the Pct 4 annex in Devine across from Tractor Supply. Once a vibrant and fun place for seniors to gather and socialize, the center was shut down during the pandemic and has been mostly vacant ever since. However, it does provide a place to refrigerate and store some of the supplies and Meals on Wheels food, and it is still the place where volunteers meet and load up for their local delivery routes each week. It is also used by the county for voting when the time comes.
One advocate said there would often be between 15-20 senior citizens utilizing Devine’s Senior Center when it was open and there are still people calling asking when it will re-open.
“The Devine Senior Center was a really great place. They would get together and do puzzles and visit. At one point we had some of the puzzles they completed hanging up on the walls.”
If you are interested in helping with this effort, please contact Sharayah Gonzales or Barbara Losack at the office 830-741-6160. The office is open Monday-Thursday from 8am-1pm. Or you can email mealsandmore@medinaseniorcenter.org
You can also reach out to route coordinator Josh Wolfe on his cell at 830-931-5556.
