Team Spotlight: Meals on Wheels Coordinator Team, Andrew and Cheris

How long have you been with Meals on Wheels?

C: I started Nov. 14 of last year.

A: I can’t be that concise, but it’s been about a year-and-a-half.

What brought you to Meals on Wheels? What do you enjoy about the job?

C: I actually live in the neighborhood. I would drive by [Goodman] all the time and see signs for the food pantry and stuff saying, ‘yeah, I’m gonna work there one day.’ I used to work at River Food Pantry doing their mobile lunch for kids, and I wanted to get back into nonprofit work. I had been working at Ian’s, and it was cool and fun, but the hours were a little insane. A lot of 5 am closing shifts. I also enjoy helping people and wanted to get back to that.

A: I like the type of work that connects me to community or makes me feel like I’m being of some kind of service. I had applied to Goodman previously and had actually started as a float teacher. That wasn’t the best fit, so when I heard about the Meals on Wheels contract coming through, I was intrigued. I’d done some delivery driving in the past and had other related experience, so I thought I’d try it out. I really like the pace of the work. We have set tasks and a certain time to do them in, and that’s the job. Yet what we’re doing is so important to so many people.

What in your life brings you joy besides work?

A: Music is a big part of my life. Writing and playing, both in groups and by myself. You can process so much of life through music. As we get older, things decline, but there’s also new maturity and restraint. You get to practice life through music. I like working outside, doing things in my yard—that’s a happy place. I also have kids, and one thing that’s simple but big for me is going anywhere in the car with my daughter, who’s 17, and getting that time to just talk.

C: Lately I’ve been getting more into selfcare, especially working out. I’m not an expert by any means, but I’m really enjoying it. I go to the gym here like three times a week. It’s like an unadulterated time for me to take care of myself, building muscles and challenging myself in ways that I didn’t know I could, like using the treadmill after years and years of running trauma—like I was the kid that walked the mile in high school. Healing that inner child has been really important to me lately. I also play a lot of video games. PC or Switch is what I usually play. I've been really into this poker game lately. Don't worry you don't bet with real money. And I recently picked up Animal Crossing again after my town, which I worked on for so long, got deleted. It was heartbreaking, honestly!

What do volunteers mean to the work you do?

C: We couldn’t do [Meals on Wheels] without our volunteers. I can’t even pretend that I don’t love our volunteers without getting emotional! They provide a physical service, setting up 250 to 300 meals every day, and their presence keeps me motivated. They come here and they want to help, they want to be around and be a part of this mission. We really have some kick-butt volunteers, too. They’re so committed and just the best.

A: Being a delivery driver, which is such an isolating experience, for so many years made me realize how important being around people is for me. But not just any people, the right kind of people. We don’t just work with our volunteers; we get to know them. I know Carol was a geologist and that Steve lived in Austin, TX. It’s that interpersonal part that really makes our volunteers special.

C: We get so excited to see them and catch up, see how their week went. They bring us brownies and enchiladas! And it’s all on top of what are really mundane tasks like putting out rows of bags and then putting a cookie in each one. But that cookie is more than a cookie, it can be a highlight of someone’s day. There’s a quote that really sticks with me: how you do anything is how you do everything. A lot of our volunteers really match that quote. These tasks may seem miniscule but [our volunteers] bring their whole selves to this place, and it shows.

Meals on Wheels aims to bring quality meals to homebound and/or disabled members of communities across the US. Our center is a contract kitchen for Madison's Meals on Wheels with SSM Health. To learn more about the Madison-area Meals on Wheels service visit ssmhealth.com/mealsonwheels.