The Retort

Meals on Wheels Brings Hope

April 19th, 2010 by Sayra Stiltner For The Retort

I am in an Ethics class, and as an assignment we needed to volunteer in our community. A lot of us chose to volunteer with the Salvation Army’s Meals on Wheels program. The service provides a simple dinner to Billings’ inner-city community on Mondays through Fridays.

I had a bittersweet experience; it was amazing to see the relief in the eyes of the families - especially in the families that were new to the service and came with a look of defeat but left with more confidence. At the same time, it was difficult to see that those families are so close to living on the street and so many, even though they have jobs, still cannot make it above poverty.

When the assignment was due we had a class discussion to share our experiences. I was very shocked to hear so much negative judgment. Not all were bad, but some said the patrons were rude when getting their meals or didn’t seem poor enough to get a meal because of cell phone or Bluetooth earpieces. And some even commented that they were not even aware that Billings has a poor community.

At the time I was speechless, and now I hope to remind people of the situation our economy is in: not everyone abuses the system; the system really is not a free ride, that is, easy. There are many out there that have not always been “poor” and still have jobs which are no longer enough. And as the news is constantly reminding us - it could be you or me. Once security is taken away, it is extremely difficult to make your way back up, not just with money and having a stable home but also emotionally - especially when so many doors that were once open, close. Meals on Wheels, in my opinion, opens a door of hope to individuals that are a part of our community, shop where we shop and work where we work.