SAN ANTONIO — Lucinda Crane and her son, Gregory, have been volunteering with Meals on Wheels San Antonio for about a year now.
“With everything happening last year, I just thought, ‘OK, how can we help?’ He was taking some time off, so it worked out well for both of us to do that together,” Lucinda said.
It’s their way of paying it forward.
Lucinda said her grandmother, Herlinda Cerda, relied on Meals on Wheels through her late-80s and early-90s. Lucinda’s father, George Walling, became a volunteer when he retired and delivered meals to other seniors in need.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Gregory and Lucinda drive across San Antonio with hot meals in tow.
“It's only setting aside like, just an hour or two a day,” Gregory said. “I think everything would be a lot better if we just all kind of made at least a little effort to help others.”
But Meals on Wheels San Antonio needs more kind-hearted people to step up and volunteer. Pre-pandemic, Meals on Wheels was delivering to about 3,000 clients a day. Now they average around 5,000 clients.
During the height of the pandemic, the organization also switched to delivering chilled meals twice a week rather than dropping off hot, ready-to-eat meals on a Monday-through-Friday basis.
Stephanie McGowan is the community engagement manager for MOW. She said their volunteer numbers need to triple before they can get back to that level of service.
“We average about 60 volunteers a day, but we need 200 a day to get back to hot meals,” McGowan said. “So right now, we're only delivering to clients every other day, but we'd like to go back to every day to do those daily check-ins and make sure that our clients are okay in their homes.”
Lucinda and Gregory make it a point to deliver meals with a side of friendship. Lucinda said they’ve made several connections over the last few months.
“We'll spend some time talking with them and getting to know them,” Lucinda said. “It's something we look forward to, seeing them.”
McGowan said you don’t need a lot of time to make a lasting impact.
“You essentially, in an hour, visit about 10 clients. Drop off a meal and your warm, welcoming face that they love to see,” McGowan said. “And after that, you're done for the day.”
If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer with Meals on Wheels San Antonio, click here.