April 26, 2017
A glance at Golda Huston’s resume reveals a fascinating journey from the dusty cotton fields of West Texas to the trendy department stores of Manhattan.
Ms. Huston grew up on a cotton farm. “I worked in the fields with my brothers,” she recalls. In her early 20’s, she started work at a clothing store in Abilene. She soon found she had a knack for fashion and that skill launched a career that included managing fashion stores in New York and selling couture at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, CA. Ms. Huston also was a modeling instructor, a charm school operator and, eventually, a high-end buyer for the old Yaring’s department store in Austin.
Now 95 years old, Ms. Huston lives alone in a North Austin apartment and stays busy tending her potted plants. “I think the way to stay youthful is to keep doing things. My aunt told me a long time ago, ‘use it or lose it’,” she tells a visitor. Ms. Huston embraces her years spent working in New York and L.A., but she remains true to her roots in the Lone Star State. “I’m glad I’m from West Texas because they’re down to earth and they made me appreciate everything and I still do appreciate everything,” she says. That’s especially true of Meals on Wheels Central Texas and its dedicated volunteers. She’s been receiving our nutritious lunches since 1996. “Those that deliver the meals, they’re so friendly. They’re like your best friends,” says Ms. Huston.
Several of her “best friends” come to visit every Friday. That’s when Mary Marcia Kirkland, her friend, Jennifer Wilcoxson, and Wilcoxson’s five children, deliver meals to the woman they affectionately call “Ms. Golda”. “Ms. Golda just took a liking to all five of these kids. She’s like another grandmother to them,” says Kirkland. “Oh, they mean a lot to me. Their momma knows that. I call them my kids. I look forward to seeing them every time,” Ms. Huston says with a smile.
But our help doesn’t end with the home-delivered meals. Ms. Huston is also a client of our Groceries to Go (GTG) program. Her GTG volunteer helps her on a regular basis with grocery shopping.
Ms. Huston credits MOWCTX with helping her live on her own: “They have improved my whole pattern of life,” she says. “Meals on Wheels helps me stay independent.”