A Thanksgiving of Gratitude

Before dawn on Thanksgiving morning, our kitchen fills with quiet purpose. Staff members like Chef Carlos and kitchen manager Sandy L., volunteers, Sister Jessica, Sister Joyce, and other Daughters of Charity move through the early hours with one intention: to bring a warm meal and a moment of connection to seniors who would otherwise spend the day alone.

This year, our leadership — Veronica and Julie included — has noted that the need feels heavier. Some of our seniors are afraid to leave their homes. Some have lost services they depended on. Many are simply isolated. But even in that difficulty, there is hope — because our people show up.

And that showing up is reciprocal.

A volunteer or staff member knocks on a door with a Thanksgiving meal. A homebound senior opens it with relief and gratitude. Both are changed by the encounter. The meal nourishes the body; the visit nourishes the heart. Service moves in both directions.

At St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, we are grateful for the privilege of this work — grateful to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving supper, grateful to carry it across the county, grateful to offer the reassurance that no one is forgotten today.

We thank our volunteers who have made serving our seniors part of their own Thanksgiving tradition, and we thank the donors and sponsors such as Kroger whose generosity makes every part of this work possible. Their support keeps our kitchen running, our routes staffed, and our seniors cared for — not just with a meal, but with presence and dignity.

Most of all, we thank our seniors, who welcome us at their doors.

On this day especially, we remember that gratitude is not only something we feel; it is something we practice.
A meal.
A visit.
A moment of connection.

From all of us at St. Vincent Meals on Wheels: thank you for helping us deliver food and love, today and every day — and for helping our seniors continue to thrive.