October 25, 2017
When Jim Stutsman ran for Congress in 2008, his campaign took a different route than the traditional “shake hands and kiss babies” approach. He became a Meals on Wheels Central Texas volunteer. “I (had) joined an organization called Texans for Accountable Government….and we came up with a lot of volunteer things and one of the things that came up was Meals on Wheels.”
So Jim signed up for a meal route, which he still drives every Thursday even though his run for office fell short. He also serves as a substitute driver - delivering lunches when a regularly-scheduled volunteer is unable to do so. It’s been so satisfying to me, I just love doing it,” he says.
That love is evident to our Volunteer Services team. “Whenever we call him to ask if he can be a substitute driver that day, he says “give me the biggest route you’ve got,” says Denise Jimenez, MOWCTX’s Director of Volunteer Services. Jim typically drives two to three times per week.
Ask him why he enjoys delivering meals and he replies “I’m a retired first sergeant, so maps and travel in strange areas are kind of satisfying to me. But he also relishes his interaction with the homebound older adults we serve. “I ask how they’re doing. I know a lot of them appreciate that. Just to be able to, it’s cliché, but to bring a little sunshine into somebody’s life during the day. Some of them actually look forward to it and are glad to see me. More people ought to do this because it’s so easy and it’s so worthwhile. Anybody who does this gets something out of it that they don’t know or never knew was available to them. It’s really cool” he says before quickly adding “doing good is always cool.”