Food, Love, and Family: Yuri’s Story

“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat…”
— Matthew 25:35

Yuri has been part of St. Vincent Meals on Wheels for more than two decades—long enough to see both the organization and the need grow.

“People call every day,” she says. “They need the meals but can’t afford even $3.”

She has heard those calls for years.

Today, as a Development Associate, Yuri helps shape the messaging that connects this work to the community—an integral part of the development team led by Director Julie Delgadillo.

Each day, she also stays close to the heart of the mission, connecting with the seniors we serve—many Spanish-speaking, many reminding her of her own grandmothers. “I have such a soft spot for them,” she says.

The work is not only about food. It is about listening, about presence, about answering a call that might otherwise go unanswered.

“I love talking to them,” she says. “So many of them are not just hungry, but very lonely.”

A mother and a grandmother, Yuri believes deeply in teaching her children to give back—and takes pride in seeing that lesson take hold. And sometimes, she brings the work home in lighter ways. “The clients make me laugh,” she says.

After more than twenty years, what keeps her going is simple: “Knowing that I’m giving back…even in a small way.”

For nearly fifty years, this work has continued—quietly, faithfully—because people like Yuri have carried it forward.

And because of donors like you, it continues. Together, we prepare and deliver nearly 3,000 hot meals each day to hungry and homebound seniors across Los Angeles County—bringing connection, care, and going #BeyondTheMeal.

“Food and love,” Yuri says, “means family.”

Through Yuri’s work—and the generosity that sustains it—we answer the call: to offer something to eat, to be present, and to help our clients not just get by, but to thrive.