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-- Programs and Services -- Contact Information Ugo Alessio delivers over 90,000 meals — still going strong
By Linda LeRoux
Drivers for Elder Services’ Meals on Wheels program are special individuals as I discovered recently after spending a day with one such driver, Ugo Alessio.
Alessio grew up in Pittsfield and lived in a small home with his parents and two siblings until he served the Navy as a mine sweeper in the Philippines. Part of the 7th Fleet, his unit was at sea patrolling for mines for two weeks at a time, usually at the entrances of harbors or bays.
After the military, he became an apprentice at GE in Computer Information Systems when the computer field was in its infancy. During his 40-year career, Alessio relished the experience of learning new skills and discovering the parade of new technology.
When he retired, his transition was difficult at first; Alessio missed the more challenging and satisfying aspects of his productive career. Answering an Elder Services Meals on Wheels drivers help wanted ad changed all that. “I applied on a Friday and began the following Monday as a Meals on Wheels substitute driver,” Alessio recalls.
Although Elder Services Nutrition Services Supervisor Sandy Alfonso has asked him if he wanted a permanent route, Alessio has told her he enjoys being a substitute driver, because he loves meeting so many people. As a Meals on Wheels substitute driver for drivers who may be sick or on vacation, he has driven every one of the Meals on Wheels’ 36 Berkshire County routes. After his almost 20 years at Elder Services, Alfonso says, “I don’t know what we’d do without him.”
Each weekday, he begins at Elder Services Lanesborough kitchen by reviewing his list of home-delivered meals for the day, taking into account special needs such as diabetic meal adjustments, lactose intolerance, or the need for weekend meals. He puts the meals into insulated warming bags to ensure they retain the proper temperature during transport.
His routes vary from an average of 20 to 30 miles to the longest route, 70 miles. He tells a visitor that today’s route is 47 miles, which will take about two hours.
When asked about bad weather, he explains, “When they don’t close the kitchen, and you’re out doing your route, you drive slowly, take your time, be safe.” Laughing he adds, “One time the snow was so high I couldn’t see the road signs.” Especially in poor driving conditions, the job requires patience. Alessio attributes his current patience level to having worked with computers for so many years.
Alessio stresses that “our work as drivers is more than delivering meals; we watch for problems.” He describes an occasion when he went to deliver a meal and discovered the person had fallen and had been on the floor for a period of time. He immediately dialed 911 for help.
He later learned that after a period of hospitalization and recovery the individual was able to return home. Other times he helps out by bringing in the paper or taking some outgoing mail to the mailbox. “I’m glad to do it,” he says with pride radiating through his smile.
Alessio tells his visitor what his work as a Meals on Wheels driver means to him. “I get out of the house, get exercise walking up and down stairs, and I like the interaction with senior, which I find very rewarding. I also enjoy the friendships that I have made in the kitchen.
We are all on a first name basis and joke a lot.” Alessio describes clients “as very special people who enjoy the human contact as much as the meals. Some seniors don’t see anyone but their driver for days.” If there is a drawback to what he does, he states simply, “As a substitute driver I don’t achieve the kind of relationship with Meals on Wheels' recipients that the regular drivers share. One driver was sick while delivering last week. Many seniors were worried and asked about him today. That’s a nice connection.”
By latest count, Alessio has delivered over 90,000 Meals on Wheels. At every stop he has generously shared his warmth and caring as he has attempted to bring a smile to the face of the person receiving the meal.
After having met this dedicated man, I can only say, “Keep smiling and bringing smiles Ugo Alessio – what you do is important.”
Linda LeRoux is a medical assistant practicing in Berkshire County.