The People We Meet … A Catholic Charities / ‘Meals on Wheels’ Story

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

On the first full day of spring, Tuesday, March 21, a beautiful morning — the sun was shining, and the sky was blue — I had the opportunity to drive to Franklin in Sussex County for an event called “March for Meals.” The event was being hosted by our Catholic Charities Center in Franklin and celebrating more than 20 years of partnership between Catholic Charities of our Diocese of Paterson and “Meals on Wheels.” You can see some photographs from the event on page 8. A flyer promoting the event said:

“For more than 20 years, the Meals on Wheels network has claimed the month of March to rally communities around its vital service, celebrate our senior neighbors and increase support for this successful public-private partnership that has ensured millions of older Americans can remain healthy and independent at home.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson, CFCS, and Meals on Wheels Program proudly provide a hot, nutritionally balanced meal to residents in Sussex County who are aged 60 and older, homebound, isolated, and unable to prepare meals independently.

Our Meals on Wheels Program has been a beacon of hope for seniors, especially since the onset of COVID-19. Often, our dedicated staff members and volunteers are the only social contact the seniors have.

During the month of March, we will be joining with Meals on Wheels chapters throughout the country in celebrating our impactful work. On Tuesday, March 21, Bishop Sweeney, local elected officials, and other distinguished guests will be volunteering to give out meals in the community.”

The pictures are great, and these words provide a good, accurate description of the event, but, as the saying goes, they tell only “half the story.” On that morning, you could feel the positive energy and upbeat spirit when you walked through the door. People were enjoying coffee and donuts, as well as enjoying one another’s company. A few minutes after I arrived, the 30 or so invited guests, staff, and volunteers gathered in a room that serves as part of the food pantry for what I was told would be a “brief program.” After I offered a prayer, the program began with each person introducing himself or herself: in addition to the staff at the Center in Franklin, some of our other Catholic Charities leaders were present; there was a good representation of local elected officials and a dedicated group of volunteers.

As the introductions progressed, a “veteran” (long-time) volunteer named Emily shared some of her experience. She began by saying that she was “recruited” (invited) to volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program in Sussex County 50 years ago and that she has been volunteering ever since. She shared an early experience of being handed a phone and a phone book and asked to call “everyone in Sussex County” to see if they or their family had a need for “Meals on Wheels.” She talked about eventually going to beauty parlors, laundry mats, rotary clubs, and other community groups to “recruit” new volunteers. Emily then shared that, in recent months, she has not been able to volunteer as frequently because her son has been battling cancer, and she is his primary caregiver. She described accompanying him to chemo or radiation treatments three times a week and that, at times, she was getting tired and finding it difficult to prepare meals. She then realized that she and her son qualified to receive “Meals on Wheels.” They signed up, and she said that it is now a little easier because they get good, nutritional meals without having the stress of having to shop and cook. It is difficult to put into words what a blessing it was to hear Emily tell her story.

Sometime during my years in the seminary, I first realized that when someone is “active in the Church,” in their parish, or by volunteering to serve others, there is a “special blessing” among many blessings that comes with that service. When we respond to the call to serve as Jesus calls us to serve, we are blessed to meet people of incredible goodness, generosity, and holiness. You have to (sort of) “keep your eyes open” because the most inspiring of those special people do what they do very quietly — you can almost “miss” them or not realize that they are there. And then there are moments like this past Tuesday when someone humbly and honestly speaks about the joy that they have known by “volunteering” and trying to “help others” over the course of 50 years. As I listened to Emily’s “testimony,” I looked around the room and realized that she had not “done it alone,” but she did it as part of a community — both the “community of Faith” (the Church/Catholic Charities) and the “wider community” (a program like “Meals on Wheels,” elected officials, and “neighbors helping neighbors” throughout Sussex County).

In the coming days, as we enter into our most “Holy Week,” we will have the privilege and blessing of “walking” with Jesus, our Blessed Mother, the disciples, and with one another, the Church, the community of believers, as we will remember and celebrate again Jesus’ suffering, death and Resurrection. As we enter into this Holy Week, I invite us all to remember and give thanks for the people we “have met” who continue to inspire us because they have truly understood what Jesus taught on Holy Thursday:

“Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
Jn 13:12b–15

If you are in need of help, would like to volunteer, or for more information about Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Paterson and/or Meals on Wheels, you can go to www.ccpaterson.org or email [email protected]. Or you can call Catholic Charities and speak with Chris Brancato at 201-315-6806.

If you or someone you know is looking to give and help us purchase meals for seniors, please visit
ccpaterson.org/meals