On Thursday morning, delivery volunteers in San Rafael waited in their cars to get warm meals for people who need the nourishment throughout Marin County for Thanksgiving.
The “Operation Thanksgiving” was arranged by nonprofit Vivalon and Meals on Wheels who assured that any person alone can get a Thanksgiving meal they need.
“The people who are getting meals today are homebound, older adults who don’t have the ability to do their own grocery shopping. They are alone on Thanksgiving Day,” Vivalon’s CEO Anne Grey, told ABC7 News.
Over 150 meals were delivered by volunteers on Thursday, she said.
“We have about 40 cars that are coming in, filled with families, grandparents, grandchildren, husband and wives, son and dad,” she said. “We’ve had every mixture of families to have this great experience together.”
Among the volunteers was Nancy Stevens, a financial donor to “Meals on Wheels”, but presented herself for the first time to deliver the blessing.
“This is the first year where I thought, why don’t I get involved, involved instead of just sending money,” Stevens said. “So, I’m really excited…it will be the highlight of my day.”
Couple Jeanne and Chris Kraft also volunteered to deliver.
“We’re really grateful,” Kraft said. “We feels so privileged in life, so we want to give back. We’re happy to do it.”
Included in each of the meals are turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and sweet dessert – or the traditional thanksgiving dishes. A local Girl Scouts-made “Happy Thanksgiving” card was also added to each package.
“Hopefully it will feel like home for them even if they’re alone,” Grey said.
A 73-year-old woman, who has been living alone in Novato, is among the recipients of the program. The meal reached her through volunteers David and Nicole Levintow.
“It’s just, I can’t express the gratitude I feel to get Meals on Wheels,” Katie Herlevic said. “Especially on a day when I would have been alone.”
Levintow said that the activity became a reminder that a simple act can create lasting effect.
“It’s really our community health, it’s about our social health, it’s about their nutritional health,” Levintow said. “It’s really, what can you do to make someone’s day better, someone’s week better?”
The gesture indeed made a difference, Hervelic said.
“I’m really happy today,” she said. “Thank you.”
