More Than A Meal

Meals on Wheels client Patricia Snell, 69, gives driver Jessica Perez of Stockton a grateful hug while receiving her meals at her home in Stockton on Thursday morning.

Ever work at a food bank before? What about distribute food to the needy? Jessica Perez and the San Joaquin County's Department of Aging have helped distribute food to 450 senior citizens each week. Like the Food for People program I had discussed in an earlier post, Perez and the Department of Aging have helped many through their Meals on Wheels program. But to Perez, giving food to the needy is more than just the transaction of food for appreciation. Jessica takes care of the elderly with routine well being check ups. "They monitor the clients and their homes. If the heat is off, for example, they make sure someone gets it turned on. Other days, they simply engage in a friendly visit, or, when delivering to Snell, enjoy a warm hug," said Jessica Perez. The Meals on Wheels program has noticed an alarming increase in the number of senior citizens in dire need of food. Terence West, one of the community providers, explains that social security checks stay at the same rate as inflation increases which makes the cost of living more difficult for citizens who might not be able to work. "He saw the lunch group grow from nine or 10 to an average of 17 and as many as 30 on some days." The San Joaquin County's Department of Aging wants to serve more seniors but fall short simply due to funding. "We're meeting the needs of as many as we can reach with our funding," Parrish said. "If we had more money, we could do much more, which I'm sure every county will tell you. Funding is a fact of life."

It is unfortunate to note that our capitalist society, let alone one of the most powerful countries in the world, simply cannot provide food for all of its citizens. Especially our elders, who we should respect and provide as many services as possible. I understand that the world runs on money but aren't there more important things in life? Am I crazy to say that personal well being holds a greater value than those that are of monetary value? What is the true cost of happiness and what values are we to give up to find this happiness? I think that through community involvement and a localized approach to funding we can find solutions from left to right. It is easy to find problems in the world, just go to any news station website of program. But it's those small gems that we find in life that truly explain the meaning of happiness.

For Jessica Perez and the San Joaquin County's Department of Aging, happiness and community involvement have been found. We need to take practices like these and reestablish them into our own localized communities. We can't assume that one food program is best for all. Which is why community involvement is so key. With a wide array of ideas and voices, each community can alter food programs to suit their own special needs. No one deserves to go hungry in the United States, or anywhere in the world. Let's do what we can at a localized level to help the people we love.