Elder Services marks 30 years
The Veteran and the
Volunteer - delivering more than Meals on Wheels
by Beth Hinkley
As Elder Services celebrates its 30th Anniversary, we are pleased to have you meet people who help Berkshire elders remain in their homes.
This month we introduce you to two Meals on Wheels drivers who represent two different generations and backgrounds, but steadfastly share a common mission: delivering midday meals and a warm smile to Berkshire seniors.
Walt Gawron, a veteran of WWII and a Purple Heart recipient, has been a Meals on Wheels driver for seven years and is proud to tell you he will celebrate his 84th birthday this July. Tim Coe, 33, is part of the Meals on Wheels Community Partnership Initiative and works as a manager at Berkshire Life. "It really breaks up the routine of my work day, and the connection with people is a very meaningful ‘quiet reward’ that giving back a little time to the community provides." said Coe.
Coe and a team of volunteers from Berkshire Life have been delivering midday meals to on a rotating schedule to seniors since 2003 . The meal delivery system for him and his co-workers takes only one hour, from leaving their desks to returning to work, because they deliver meals in a Pittsfield senior housing building.
Both soft-spoken gentlemen, Gawron and Coe say the rewards of delivering Meals on Wheels are immeasurable. "It is a pleasure to share a kind word or little story with someone and to know that I may be the only person they see all day" said Coe. "People wait for me to come each day, and I like knowing that I'm important to them" said Gawron, a GE retiree with 40 years of service and former volunteer Veterans Administration ambulance driver who makes his home in Pittsfield. He is Sergeant at Arms for American Legion Post 68, and is assistant baseball manager for the Post 68 baseball team. In late October 2003, Gawron had knee replacement surgery and after an excellent recovery period, returned to delivering meals in February. He credits a positive attitude and always being Aon the go@ for his recovery and return to delivering nearly 30 meals daily on his route that covers 16 miles and takes two and a half hours each weekday.
Coe's grandmother received Meals on Wheels until her death in 2001 and he knows how important it was for him and his family to know she received a nutritious meal delivered by a kind person. He and his co-workers at Berkshire Life believe that their effort to make a personal contribution of time, even one or two hours per week, means that "everyone wins".