Despite Westchester County having among the highest median household incomes in the country, 4 out of 10 households are living in poverty or paycheck-to-paycheck: A surprising and alarming statistic, one that prompted me to seek out where to volunteer in my area. I discovered Meals On Wheels White Plains after stumbling across their (very well-produced) podcast, Doors, hosted by Sarah Lawrence student and intern Syd Walter. I was unexpectedly quite moved by it, and soon found myself on my first delivery.
On a sweltering August morning, I pulled into the White Plains High School senior parking lot. After being greeted warmly by Executive Director Jeremy Kasman, I was paired with a lovely woman, Susan, who had been making deliveries for a few months. I was admittedly strangely nervous, but she instantly put me at ease before this unfamiliar experience, promising to come to the door of each delivery with me. Clutching the print-out of my route and hoping I wouldn’t throw Susan off her rhythm due to my inexperience, we set off to deliver to ten people.
The first client, despite having the TV on, did not answer the door. After several minutes of knocking, waiting, calling, and knocking some more, we ended up leaving the meals at the door, a practice not often encouraged in the summertime, as the temperature that day was 91 degrees. In an unairconditioned apartment complex, food spoils quickly. Unfortunately, (and, I’m told, unusually) there were several other clients we were not able to get in contact with, resulting in us taking their meals back to the office. I was told this happens sometimes, due to doctor’s appointments, mobility issues, poor hearing, and a number of other uncontrollable circumstances.
The most affecting moment of my deliveries that day occurred at a residence I will call “Building B”, an apartment complex undergoing significant renovations. Some residents were moved into a hotel until their apartments were back in decent condition: Mr. A was one of these residents. After unsuccessfully attempting to deliver Mr. A’s meals at this hotel, I was told by the concierge that he had checked out. Susan, having been to his original apartment, drove us there next.
His apartment at Building B was strewn with exposed piping and plumbing. Drywall was left in chunks on the floor and overflowed from canvas laundry carts in the middle of the hallway. In order to access Mr. A’s apartment, one had to climb a small flight of stairs, ducking under a ladder propped against the wall and avoiding tangling their legs in tubing. I was shocked that these conditions were deemed adequate enough to have him moved from the safety and comfort of the hotel, and back into an apartment actively undergoing extremely disruptive “renovations.” On top of this, an actually-quite-cheerful Mr. A told us that the AC was out, and he was given an ineffective portable unit in its stead. While I am glad to have actually found his current residence in order to deliver his meals, this particular stop really reinforced the need for programs like Meals-On-Wheels. While already enduring the stresses of repeatedly moving residences, a brutal summer heat wave, and having to essentially navigate an obstacle course to make it to your apartment, no one should have to add food insecurity to the list…
Come back next week for Part 2; in the meantime, consider donating or volunteering. Get involved to make a difference.
