‘Above and Beyond’
Delivery drivers fill important need for those they serve
By Brandy Nance
Saturday, March 3, 2007
When Charlie Zorn’s car broke down recently, the people on his delivery route missed him terribly.
Zorn, 73, delivered Friendship Meals for nine years driving a 1977 Ford 4-door sedan. The car broke down recently and is not repairable.
“People love him,” said Terri Brooks, nutrition coordinator of Friendship Meals. “The day after his car broke down my phone was ringing off the hook and his people wanted to know what they needed to do to get him back on his route.”
Zorn’s friends and fellow drivers have set up a fund at Emporia State Bank to raise money to buy a different car for Zorn so he can get back on the road and deliver meals, said Brooks.
Zorn said he enjoyed delivering meals.
“I like the people on my route,” he said. “They’re really nice. I never had no trouble with the people on my route.”
Zorn is just one of many drivers who volunteer for Friendship Meals. Brooks said out of the 18 counties that North Central Flint Hills Area on Aging serves, Emporia is the largest area.
“This program is so important,” Brooks said. “For some people this is their only meal.”
Brooks said they do more than just deliver meals.
“I have the best drivers,” Brooks said. “They really go above and beyond.”
Above and beyond included a food drive the drivers had during last year’s holiday season. Drivers collected extra food and delivered it to people on their route.
“I can’t say enough about my drivers,” Brooks said.
Zorn also goes above and beyond, and the people on his route say they miss that. On Monday, Zorn helped deliver meals to the people on his route as he tagged along with Dan Johnson, the driver who now does his route. The people on Zorn’s route were overjoyed to see him.
“It’s good to see Charlie,” said Irma Hill. “He’s just Charlie. He’s been bringing me my meals for a couple of years. He always took my mail in for me, few people would do that for you. And I always gave him the Topeka paper after I read it.”
Hill said Zorn isn’t just somebody who delivers the meals.
“Charlie always looked after us,” she said. “Charlie is a friend. There’s no one like Charlie.”
Viola Scarberry, another person on Zorn’s route, agrees.
“Charlie is my buddy,” Scarberry said. “He made me laugh a lot. When I’m sad, he cheers me up. Charlie is a good guy. He touched my heart a lot. He’s like a friend. Even when there’s ice on the sidewalk he brought the meals.”
Hill said the Friendship Meals program is very important to her.
“They’re very nice and help me a lot,” she said. “As a rule, the meals are all right. I enjoy getting them. I’ve lived in this house for 50 years and I’m not about to leave.”
Scarberry also said she benefits from the meals.
“The meals are excellent,” she said. “They’ve got a good program.”
The program serves out of the back at the Heritage Center on Whittier Street, where Brooks expressed worry about the food program’s funding. She said if minimum wage goes up, it will hurt the food program because it will cost more to operate.
“There’s really not funding for that,” Brooks said. “People really need to write their legislators to help with funding for food programs.”
Brooks said there also is a Meals on Wheels check-off on the Kansas income tax return forms.
“Even if everybody donates a dollar, that would generate income,” Brooks said.
mythoughts (anonymous) says...
It would be so nice if someone would just fix his car for free. And maybe donate a $100 in gas! Hint, hint, Emporia business people--a good community service.
March 5, 2007 at 9:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )