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THE MEAL TIMESNEWS L ETTER O F MEA LS ON W H EELS CENT R A L T E X ASVolume 43, Issue 3July 2018“My Path Has Been So Blessed”Glenda Kuhn has a career planfor the afterlife. The 85-year-oldretired social worker wants a benchby her gravesite and, on the bench,a sign that reads “come sit down,let’s talk about it.”Ms. Kuhn spent much of herprofessional life counseling peoplewho were dealing with such gutwrenching issues as domestic andsubstance abuse. She knew firsthand the emotional and physicalpain that many of her clients wereexperiencing, having survived anabusive relationship and alcoholismherself.“It was a very badsituation,” she says of the marriagewhich lasted 10 years and endedin divorce. Ms. Kuhn went on toearn a degree in Social Work fromthe University of Texas and spentthe next several decades in serviceto others. “My path has been soblessed because I’ve done a wholelot of things and they’re all becausemy path crossed somebody else’spath,” says Ms. Kuhn.But, in 2013, after years of helpingothers, Ms. Kuhn needed assistancein maintaining her independence.“I’ve got macular degeneration andI’ve got a bunch of things wrong.I was starting to forget things andher lose more than 50 pounds,developments she says have greatlypleased her doctor.Client Glenda Kuhn in her East Austin apartment.starting to burn things occasionally.So I was not in good shape and overtime not in good shape got to be badshape,” she says. So she turned toMeals on Wheels Central Texas forhelp and our dedicated volunteerswere soon delivering meals toher East Austin apartment. Shecredits our nutritious lunches withimproving her health and helpingWhen asked what she would dowithout Meals on Wheels CentralTexas, Ms. Kuhn says “I was a childin the Depression. People came toour back door and asked my mamaand daddy (for help). (WithoutMeals on Wheels) I guess I’dknock on somebody’s door and askif they’ve got extra for lunch. It’sterrible to think about.”3 2 2 7 E . 5 th S T RE E T AU STIN , TEXAS 78702 w 512.476.6325
KVUE-TV Honors Meals on Wheels VolunteerThree days a week, volunteer LarryMiller comforts our most vulnerableCentral Texas neighbors. Some ofthe recipients of his kindness areonly eight days old; others have beenaround for eight decades or more.Mr. Miller’s compassionate effortson behalf of the very young and thevery old were recently recognizedby KVUE-TV who awarded him withone of the station’s annual Five WhoCare community service awards.Mr. Miller began volunteering forMeals on Wheels Central Texasin 2008 when he semi-retiredas a psychologist. He still sawpatients on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,and Thursdays – on Mondays andFridays, he would deliver meals.uTen years later, and now fully retiredat age 79, he still volunteers for us onthose same days – delivering mealsout of our St. Mark’s distributionsite on Mondays, and our St. John’sdistribution site on Fridays.Meals on Wheels volunteer LarryMiller and KVUE’s Terri Gruca withMr. Miller’s Five Who Care award.All told, he’s driven close to 800meal routes, logged more than 1200volunteer hours, and saved MOWCTXnearly 30,000 in delivery costs.But he also donates his time everySunday, rocking infants in SetonMedical Center’s Neonatal IntensiveCare Unit (NICU). The babies holda special place in his heart becausehis triplet grandsons spent time in aNICU when they were born in 1989.“I get a great joy out of doing forothers,” he says when asked aboutthe volunteerism that earned himthe Five Who Care award from KVUE.“It gives me a great appreciation ofmy own life.”To watch a video KVUE-TVproduced about Larry Miller andhis volunteerism, please visit bit.ly/2KayXOkCreative Ways to Give tBuying a new A/C or heater from BlueAir Heating and Air Conditioning will not only make yourhouse a more comfortable place to live, you’ll also be helping our homebound neighbors in need!Whenever a customer purchases a new HVAC system, BlueAir will donate as much as 175 to oneof four local non-profits, including Meals on Wheels Central Texas. You get to decide which charityreceives the donation – just mention Meals on Wheels and BlueAir will do the rest.Call BlueAir at 512-257-8423 for more information!Getting your vehicle serviced by Brakes To Go, Austin’s mobile brake repair business,not only saves you time, and protects you and your car; it also helps the homeboundolder adults we serve.For every brake job they perform, Brakes To Go will donate 1 to Meals on WheelsCentral Texas to support our life-sustaining services.Learn more at brakestogo.comHere’s your chance to dine at some of the best restaurants in Central Texas, meet some newfriends, AND help MOWCTX in the process!Taster’s Table Club (TTC) brings food lovers together for conversation and food at affordablemonthly dining experiences. Each month, members choose from select restaurants offeringexclusive tasting menus for club members.Now, our wonderful partners at TTC are donating 10% of every new membership and 2 of every meal purchasedto MOWCTX. Each time you participate in a TTC event, you will help feed homebound older Central Texans.In addition, when you sign up for your TTC membership, you’ll save 10 by entering the code “MOWCTX” atcheckout.Visit bit.ly/TTCMOW for more information or to sign up today!To g e t h e r , w e c a n e n d s e n i o r h u n g e r i n C e n t r a l Te x a s .
Austin Broadcasters CelebrateFather’s Day by Serving OthersWhen KVUE anchor Yvonne Navaasked her husband, LonghornNetwork Anchor and Play-by-PlayAnnouncer Alex Loeb, what he’d likefor Father’s Day this year, he didn’thesitate. He wanted to volunteer forMeals on Wheels Central Texas.Loeb used to deliver meals inConnecticut when he worked atESPN and Nava worked for the NBCaffiliate in Hartford. Loeb beganvolunteering after his grandmotherpassed away. “She was alwaystalking about helping out those lessfortunate or those in need and so itmade me realize I wanted to helppeople out and I got started fromthere,” he recalls. The couple’s firstchild, Liam, was one year old at thetime and Loeb would take him alongon his meal routes. Although Liamwas too young to appreciate whatwas going on, volunteering made abig impression on his dad.“He would come home and tellme all of these great stories aboutpeople he had met, things he hadlearned, and friends that he hadmade,” says Nava of her husband’svolunteerism in Connecticut.Longhorn Network’s Alex Loeb and hiswife, Yvonne Nava from KVUE, recentlydelivered meals with their son, Liam.The Friday before Father’s Day thisyear, the couple and Liam deliveredmeals to some of the homeboundpeople we serve in Southeast Austin.Loeb says the experience was theonly present he needed. “It soundscliché, but I get more happiness outof giving then getting something.”Rally for Affordable HousingMore than 100 people, includingmembers of the Meals on WheelsCentral Texas team, gathered on thesteps of City Hall recently to urgethe Austin City Council to prioritizeaffordable housing in the upcomingNovember bond elections.AustinMayorSteveAdler,Mayor Pro-Tem Kathie Tovo, andCouncilmembers Delia Garza, PioRenteria, and Greg Casar attendedthe rally and spoke in favor ofaffordable housing bonds.These types of bonds provide animportant source of funding forour Home Repair Program, whichtransforms the lives of olderadults and people with disabilitiesexperiencing serious structural andaccessibility issues with their homes.Austin Mayor Steve Adler speaksat an affordable housing rally heldon the steps of City Hall.And, by completing these criticalrepairs, MOWCTX helps provide anaffordable housing alternative forour vulnerable neighbors—their owncherished homes.The Meal Times will keep you postedon developments regarding thisvital issue.GRATITUDE TX S Depot LLC for supporting Mealson Wheels Central Texas Bomdiggidy Glass Gallery forsupporting Meals on WheelsCentral Texas Donald D. Hammill Foundation forsupporting Meals on Wheels, In-HomeCare, and Mike’s Place Enterprise for supporting Meals onWheels Central Texas Glass Vegas for supporting Meals onWheels Central Texas HVLPO2 LLC for supporting Meals onWheels Central Texas IBC Bank – Austin for sponsoring the2018 Golf charity tournament IBM Corporate Citizenship andCorporate Affairs for supportingIn-Home Care InfinityGlassArt Inc. for supportingMeals on Wheels Central Texas Inigo Glass Gallery for supportingMeals on Wheels Central Texas Lampwork Supply for supporting Mealson Wheels Central Texas Merrill Lynch Wealth Managementfor supporting Meals on WheelsCentral Texas Orangetheory Fitness for supportingMeals on Wheels Central Texas Redman Foundation for supportingMeals on Wheels Central Texas Silicon Labs for supportingBreakfast Meals Subaru for supporting Share the Love Texas Capital Bank for supportingMeals on Wheels The Applied Materials Foundation forsupporting Meals on Wheels Uber, Project Jumpstart for supportingMeals on Wheels Walmart Store #4163 for supportingMeals on Wheels The Winkler Family Foundationor supporting Meals on WheelsCentral Texas Yeandle One, LLC (AKA American GlassRoots) for supporting Meals on WheelsCentral Texasw w w.m eal s onw h eel s cent ral tex as .org
Adam’s CornerDear Friends,If you’re of a certain age, you probablyremember when doctors made housecalls. While visits from physicians area thing of the past, MOWCTX has neverstopped delivering quality services toclients’ homes, keeping those we servehealthy and safe.Our highly-trained Case Managers (CM’s)conduct home visits to the thousands ofCentral Texans who receive our services.These appointments determine aclient’s needs so we can customize acare plan specifically for them. Followup visits allow CM’s to gauge clients’progress and adjust care plans asneeded. I recently had the opportunityto accompany our CM’S on assessmentvisits, and although I’ve been an MOWvolunteer for 30 years, this was an eyeopening experience for me!BOARD OFDIRECTORSMANAGEMENTTEAMMeg Youngblood, Board ChairMaxwell Locke & Ritter LLPAdam HauserPresident and CEONorine Yukon, Chair-ElectCommunity VolunteerLarry Cosper, C.P.A.Executive Vice President & CFONick Weynand, Vice ChairMighty CitizenMichael WilsonSr. Vice President & COOMichael C. Brown, TreasurerTexas Capital BankMarsha WierExecutive Director/MOWCTXIn-Home CareSamuel Lee Houston, SecretaryHouston’s Computer Software ServicesBen Hanson, Immediate Past ChairEQ Capital Strategies, LLCNamkee G. Choi, Ph.DThe University of Texas at AustinSteve Hicks School of Social WorkB.J. Friedman, Ph. D, RDNCommunity VolunteerJulian RiveraHusch Blackwell LLPStewart WhiteheadMelanie AlexanderVice President for Human ResourcesCharles CloutmanVice President for Home Repair ProgramTheresa Medlin CrawfordVice President for Volunteer Servicesand DistributionDemereal OwensVice President for Client ServicesNicole SarkarVice President for DevelopmentWinsteadThad RosenfeldI was struck by three things. First, ourVice President for Communicationsclients’ desire to remain independentAdam Hauseris palpable. They desperately want toMeals on Wheels Central Texasremain in their homes - but they needassistance in doing so - fortunately, ourprograms help them achieve that important goal. The second thing I noticed is our clients’needs are often very complex. That’s when we employ our deep platform of life-sustainingservices, a holistic array of programs that work in concert to keep the people we serve out ofassisted living facilities.But my biggest takeaway is the professionalism, the dedication to customer service, and thekindness exhibited by all of our wonderful Case Managers. They, along with the rest of theoutstanding MOWCTX team, our thousands of community-minded volunteers, and our board,play a vital role in our mission. But none of it happens without your generous support - thanksto you, we still make house calls!With Deep Gratitude,c h a r i t y n a v i g a t o r 4 - star r ating for fiscal management
Uber Helps Keep the Wheels Moving!Everythreemonths,Uberencourages its drivers in Austin tonominate causes that are importantto them. Then Uber donates moneyto the charity whose nominationreceives the most votes from drivers.It’s called Project Jumpstart, andMOWCTX was nominated for theApril 2018 award by David, whodrives for the ride-sharing service.“I’ve seen the impact (MOWCTX)has made in people’s lives in thecommunity. I’m proud of the greatwork Meals on Wheels does not onlyin (Central) Texas, but also acrossthe country,” says David of thereason why he suggested MOWCTXfor the award.When the votes for Project Jumpstartwere tabulated, MOWCTX came infirst among the three finalists, andUber generously donated 10,000in support of our life-sustainingmission.Nicole Sarkar, MOWCTX’s VP forDevelopment, accepts a generousdonation from David Brightman,General Manager of Uber CentralTexas & Oklahoma.Many thanks to Uber and itshundreds of Central Texas driverswho help make our community abetter, safer place to live!“I’ve Lived in East Austin My Whole Life”“He’s a ray of sunshine and I lookforward to seeing him,” says Mealson Wheels Central Texas clientGareth Pollard of John Limon, thevolunteer who delivers lunch toMr. Pollard’s East Austin homeevery Monday.Meals on Wheels volunteerJohn Limon (right) shares a laughwith client Gareth Pollard.Mr. Limon has been an MOWCTXvolunteer since 1994. Not only doeshe deliver a route every Monday, healso serves as a substitute driverthe rest of the week - filling in forregularly scheduled volunteers whoare unable to deliver meals on anygiven day. All of the routes he coversare in East Austin, a part of the cityhe knows like the back of his hand.“I’ve lived in East Austin my wholelife. I was born and raised here andI still live on the east side and I willcontinue living on the east side untilit’s over for me,” Mr. Limon says.Giving back is important to thisAustin native who graduated fromJohnston High School and spent30 years working as a lithographer,delivering meals for us during hislunch break. In retirement, he’sdevoted his time to making Austina better place to live. Mr. Limonis a tireless community leader whoseeks to help those in need.He’s also had a front row seat forthe gentrification that’s radicallytransformed his neighborhood.“When I first started (volunteering)most of our clients were in CentralEast Austin. But because of thechanges that are happening, many(clients) have had to move furtherout,” he says of skyrocketing propertytaxes and rental rates. “When I dosubstitute driving, I’ve done routesthat are in Del Valle because oursenior citizens are moving out ofAustin.” A passionate advocate forthe elderly, Mr. Limon also worriesabout those left behind. “The onesthat don’t want to move, that wantto continue to live here, those arethe ones that are my concern,”he says.He relishes his visits with thepeople to whom he delivers meals- folks like Mr. Pollard. “When (theclients) give me their blessings, youknow, that’s priceless. When theytell me ‘God bless you for what youdo’, what else can I ask for? Thatis such a huge blessing for me,” hesays. Which is why John Limon willcontinue to drive the streets he’sknown his entire life, delivering hotmeals and warm smiles to his EastAustin neighbors.COM PASS ION IN ACTIONFollow us:
“Just When You Think Doors are Closing”MOWCTX & SAFE Team Up to Help FamilyIt’s amazing what great teamworkcan accomplish. Thanks to ourrecent collaboration with SAFE, amulti-generational Central Texasfamily is able to stay together underone roof.SAFE, the merger of AustinChildren’s Shelter and SafePlace,is dedicated to ending child abuse,sexual assault, and domesticviolence. SAFE’s Foster & Adoptprogram provides foster care andadoption services for families. Thenon-profit approached us earlierthis year to see if our Home Repairprogram could help a couple withthree foster children.Before WorkThe husband and wife have askedus not to use their names—so we’llcall them Jenny and Joe. Jenny’smom and dad still live in the housethat Jenny grew up in, the place herdad constructed himself. “He builtthis entire house. We got to see himhammer every nail, every screw, hedid a great job,” Jenny says. Butthese days, her dad suffers frommemory loss, and Jenny’s mom ishis full time caregiver.didn’t think it was good for themto move to a new environment,”says Jenny.So Jenny and Joe hired a contractorto finish out the additionalrooms—but he took their money,never finished the work, anddisappeared.Now, the couplecouldn’t afford to complete theapartment. That’s when SAFE askedif our Home Repair program couldprovide a solution. “Helping olderCentral Texans stay safe and healthyin their homes is what we do. So,we were eager to help this multigenerational family stay togetherat no cost to them,” says AdamHauser, MOWCTX’s President/CEO.Our Home Repair program deliveredAfter Worka finished product and peace ofMOWCTX’s Home Repair programcollaborated with SAFE to help a multi- mind. “We appreciate collaboratinggenerational family live under one roof. with our partner, Meals onWheels—it truly does take all ofSo, Jenny and Joe came up with a us to build up our families and ourplan to buy her parents’ home. They communities,” says Julia Spann,and their three foster children, whom Co-CEO at SAFE.they’re in the process of adopting,would move into the house, and help Having the children under the sameJenny’s mom with caregiving. The roof as her mom and dad is a dreamidea was to complete an unfinished come true for Jenny. “To be ablepart of the house and turn that into to have my parents as part of theiran apartment for Jenny’s parents. life, I mean the kids know them as“It was important to keep mom and Nanna and PaPaw,” she says beforedad close. This is what dad knows adding, “just when you think doorsand what he’s familiar with. We are closing, God says ‘I’ve got this’.”Raise a Glass to AAGI!Some of the most talented glassartists in the nation gatheredrecently in Austin and created averitable masterpiece – more than 50,000 in donations to Meals onWheels Central Texas!Armadillo Art Glass Initiative(AAGI) is an organization of localartists dedicated to helping peoplein need.AAGI’s annual festivalraises money for and awareness ofour agency. The event spotlightsrenowned artists and features liveglassblowingdemonstrations,silent auction, music, and food. Allproceeds benefit MOWCTX.Since the festival began in 2013,AAGI has raised more than 260,000 for our agency - enoughto purchase, prepare and packagemore than 104,000 of our hot,nutritious meals! Thank you AAGI!Since its inception in 2013, theArmadillo Art Glass Initiative has raisedmore than 260,000 for MOWCTX.w w w. m e a l s o n w h e e l s c e n t r a l t e x a s . o r g
Glenda Kuhn has a career plan for the afterlife. The 85-year-old retired social worker wants a bench by her gravesite and, on the bench, a sign that reads "come sit down, let's talk about it." Ms. Kuhn spent much of her professional life counseling people who were dealing with such gut-wrenching issues as domestic and substance abuse.
