September 25, 2017
“Churches are gathering places, they’re gathering places where people come together to share in community. But community doesn’t end at our [church] doors; community is out beyond our doors.” That’s how Laura Tomaszewski describes how she and several other members of the St. Julian of Norwich Episcopal Church in Round Rock formed a Meals on Wheels volunteer team in 2016.
“We were looking for something to do right in our neighborhood where our church is [located]. We noticed that Meals on Wheels Central Texas had a need for help in Williamson County and so we thought it was a good fit,” she adds. Nearly 20 members of the St. Julian’s congregation donate their time to help MOWCTX; most of them as meal delivery drivers. But some team members volunteer for our PALS program, which provides free pet food and veterinary care for our clients’ beloved four-legged friends. “We all really enjoy being able to help people out with those things that are important to them in their daily lives,” says Ms. Tomaszewski.
The team takes turns driving the meal route - which means Ms. Tomaszewski delivers about once a month. “There isn’t one favorite part of this experience, I enjoy the whole thing. I look forward to greeting John when he answers the door and seeing how he’s doing, and talking to Ms. Julia, we both share a love of the national parks system,” she says, describing some of the homebound clients on the St. Julian’s route.
When asked about her favorite volunteer memory so far, she tells the story of a client who had been bed-ridden when she first began receiving our meals. One day, not too long ago, the client answered the door when Ms. Tomaszewski delivered her lunch. “She was up and mobile for the first time in a very long time! It was just such a happy moment - to see that she had been getting the nutrition, and the ability to heal, and the strength to be up at the door. It was just like ‘you’re doing great!’, that joyous moment of knowing that impact,” Ms. Tomaszewski says. “That was great!”