Tucked away in dozens of Pleasanton neighborhoods are neatly kept homes where older men and women live but seldom leave. Confined to their properties for any number of reasons, these homebound — and often overlooked — residents cannot travel to restaurants or grocery stores to buy even the minimal amount of food they need to remain healthy.
So for many, their main connection to the community is a daily visit by dedicated Meals on Wheels volunteers who bring a hot meal and cold drink to their front doors.
As people age, maintaining a healthy, independent lifestyle can become more and more of a challenge. Simple errands and chores like driving, taking out the trash, grocery shopping and the ability to prepare food are impacted by aging.
For homebound seniors, food preparation is made even more difficult if they live alone, lack financial resources, or don’t have family members or a social network to reach out to. Those impacted by food insecurity are at greater health risk.
During the 2015-16 fiscal year, 76% of the seniors who received Meals on Wheels in Pleasanton were 75 years or older and lived on less than $900 per month, a far cry from the prosperity often associated with Pleasanton.
There are 246,000 residents age 65 and older in Alameda County, according to the county’s Area Agency on Aging. Half of these seniors are living below the Elder Economic Security Standard Index for basic living expenses.
To help those seniors in need, a crew of over 40 volunteers meets at the Pleasanton Senior Center Monday through Friday, 52 weeks a year. On their assigned days, these Spectrum Community Services volunteers load up hot meals and cold drinks into red and blue coolers before setting out to deliver meals to 60 to 75 homebound Pleasanton residents.
Meals on Wheels is a lifeline that allows vulnerable seniors to continue thriving in their homes. The volunteers not only bring nutritious, life-sustaining meals to clients, but they provide meaningful social interaction and ensure the residents are safe. And for many of these seniors, their delivery driver may be the only person they meet with all day.
For more information on Meals on Wheels or to become a local volunteer, contact program coordinator Rachel Carpender at 931-5385 or carpender@spectrumcs.org.
Editor’s note: A professional photographer who freelances for the Pleasanton Weekly, Mike Sedlak also serves as an alternate member on the Pleasanton Human Services Commission.
