Leta Winston can tell you all about the people she feeds on Friday.
She knows their hobbies, their quirks and what their children and grandchildren are up to. Winston keeps track of who owns a dog so she can come prepared with a treat, and she has a copy of the Oregonian on hand for the friendly gentleman with the small, yippy Chihuahua. He couldn’t come to the door Friday, so Winston left the newspaper and his lunch on a table by the couch, then shouted an upbeat, “Hi, Colin. It’s Leta.”
Winston is one of about three dozen regular volunteers with the local Meals on Wheels program, and said she has been volunteering with the group for at least 15 years. U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici joined Winston on Friday, Feb. 21, to help deliver both ready-to-eat and frozen meals to senior citizens in Beaverton.
Bonamici said she plans to introduce national legislation next week that would reauthorize the Older Americans Act, which helps fund Meals on Wheels and other programs benefiting aging citizens.
Vicki Adams, who manages the Beaverton Meals on Wheels operation, said it takes a minimum of 36 volunteers to provide meals both in person at the Elsie Stuhr Center or by delivery to a total of about 300 seniors.
On Friday, volunteers delivered 223 dishes, and Adams anticipated that about 90 people would stop by the center to eat in the dining area.
It’s the only senior meals program in Beaverton and the largest in Washington County, Adams said.
And it’s about more than just meals.
When a diabetic woman she regularly delivers to didn’t respond one morning, Winston is the one who called for help. The woman, suffering from low blood sugar, had not been able to get up or reach her phone, Winston said.
Bonamici said the companionship and support network provided by Meals on Wheels are as valuable as the food, and meeting the volunteers and seniors helped prepare her to push for U.S. legislation that will bolster the program.
--Kari Bray