Meals On Wheels brings more than just food

Just minutes into meeting Loretta May, you quickly learn she loves telling stories, but she doesn’t usually have anyone to tell them to.

“Living by yourself takes energy in the fact that you have to entertain yourself. There isn’t someone else to give you conversation. You have to be happy with yourself,” May said.

Every morning, Meals On Wheels volunteers bring May much needed food.

“With the onset of arthritis in my knees, going grocery shopping then bringing it all home became where it got time for cooking I said, ‘I’ll just make a sandwich.’ I wasn’t eating properly,” she said.

The Joslyn Center’s Meals On Wheels program serves more than 1250 homebound seniors in Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. On National Meals On Wheels Awareness Day, “The main statement is no senior should go hungry. Our goal is to make sure no senior will go hungry in the year 2020. That is our goal

To get there, the center needs more volunteer drivers.

“They’re using their own car, to help another soul. If you have any faith, you’ll know any good thing you do here is counted up there,” May said.

Besides, it isn’t just the food May looks forward to.

“The volunteers that come each day of the week are the most fantastic people. I found they’re almost like friends,” she added.

Friends who love to lend a listening ear.