H-E-B Joins Meals for The Elderly in San Angelo for Feast of Sharing Delivery

When it comes to serving the senior citizens of San Angelo, Meals for the Elderly does just that and more since 1974. For 34 years, Charlyn Ocker, president and CEO, has played a great part in that service.

“Our mission is to make sure that there are no seniors hungry in Tom Green County,” she stated.

To ensure that's the case for the month of November, Meals for the Elderly and H-E-B employees gathered together Wednesday morning to deliver the Feast of Sharing meal to 700 senior citizens in the county. H-E-B will host its 19^th Annual Feast of Sharing this Sunday, so this is a way to ensure these citizens could be a part of the event.

The unit director for H-E-B, Lynn Shipley, said the store's employees expect to serve about 7,000 meals on Sunday. He added, “We even have a TV for the Cowboys game this year!”

Shipley also gave a little insight on what H-E-B does to contribute to the community. “We have sales at the store, which we get food merchandise for. What we do is, I take what is left and we divvy it up between the food banks,” he explained. Meals for the Elderly is only one of the many organizations to receive these donations.

“It gives me a lot of pride that H-E-B believes in me. They give me the opportunity to represent our company in the community in a big way,” Shipley stated.

Joining with Meals for the Elderly volunteers and H-E-B staff was a great opportunity for Shipley to do so.

As for the preparation of the meals, the kitchen staff at Meals for the Elderly consists mostly of volunteers. Ocker said, “We have perfect scores from the health department,” and that is greatly due to this hard-working staff. They began cooking at five o’clock in the morning Wednesday to have all the meals prepared and ready to go for the volunteer drivers.

Driver Morgan Riley has been volunteering with Meals for the Elderly for 10 years. He said the recipients of the meals “are just really grateful” and that “it feels really good” to be doing this for our community.

Shipley, who also went out on a delivery that day, stated that “a big smile” is always the reaction on the citizens’ faces. A smile is what makes the task worthwhile for all involved.

Currently, Meals for the Elderly delivers to all of Tom Green County. Ocker stated, “There are a number of businesses that deliver on their lunch hour.” The agency has also partnered with Goodyear Auto Service Center to help assist a client outside of the county.

In addition to hot meals, Meals for the Elderly volunteers deliver microwaves, heaters, fans and blankets.

“[That's] because our mission says that we are going to deliver a hot meal, and it goes on to say ‘while ensuring their individual well-being,’” noted Ocker.

Meals for the Elderly currently assists 700 clients. Staff and volunteers serve hot meals Monday through Friday. As for HEB, The Feast of Sharing is just one of the many events the agency engages in throughout the year.

Ocker stated, “We have the Christmas Open House coming up and it is always the second Sunday of December.”

Additionally, Ocker said, “Starting today is our Seniors Still Believe tree out at the mall. We have a Christmas tree, and it has our seniors’ wishes on there about what they would like for Christmas. We ask people to go to the mall and get an ornament.”

Gifts can be dropped off at Barbed Wire and Roses inside the mall, or at the Meals for the Elderly building, 310 E. Houston Harte Expy.

Meals for the Elderly rely solely on the community of San Angelo. To learn more about the agency's events, how to become a volunteer, or to make a donation, please visit www.mealsfortheelderly.org. For many seniors, the highlight of their day comes from the volunteers, a hot meal and a smile.