Meals on Wheels

[Michael Chiarello Blog Feed]

The only thing my mother ever asked me to do before she died was to support Meals on Wheels (http://www.mowsf.org) . As her kids, we were her charity; but one pleasure she gave herself was delivering meals with Meals on Wheels and in working with the organization. As a young kid I would go with her on these deliveries and it was apparent that what they were delivering to these people – what I would term as “latch-key elderly” - was so much more important than just a meal. It was really contact with people, and a relationship with what was going on with the outside world.And so the one thing my mother asked me to do was to support Meals on Wheels (http://www.mowsf.org/) . So every year since 1986, when Tra Vigne (http://www.travignerestaurant.com/) opened, we’ve done this benefit (http://www.mowsf.org/gala/index.html) . And we did it again last month. California’s best vintners and chefs come together to celebrate something that’s really important in a really selfless way. And the people who run the group are unbelievable; they put a first class event together. When I was a young chef it was the event of events - and if you were asked to do it, you were beginning to become somebody in the world, because they cared enough to invite you to it. It’s been a pleasure supporting this group of hard-working people, and through them, the often silent but very wise older folks in our communities. Meals on Wheels (http://www.mowsf.org/) organizations are across the country, so you may want to check it out close to your home.

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[Food Network Fan]

That is a great program. There was a career center that did that close to my grandmother when she was living. They also ran a bus to pick up seniors and take them to the center where they could eat their meal spend time with other seniors a couple of days a week. The little old ladies used to fight like teenage girls over which men they got to sit by on the bus, it was funny to see. My grandmother never had a drivers license and I know she really enjoyed having a way to get out and do something. And those days when they had meals brought in, some of the young people from the career center would deliver and they would often stay and visit with them a while. I thought that was great.

[ibcheft]

Got to say, the more I read on this Chef, the more I see just how good of a person he is. In his own quite way, he brings support to his community, without out right bragging about it. The meals on wheels on been going for as long as I can remember, I know they brought meals to my grand parents (when they were still with us), when they could not get out. It is a great program for the elderly, and it is a great way to make sure they get food and are checked on.

[Food Network Fan]

They are some lucky seniors to have had Michael cooking for them when he was a young chef. My grandmother never got a meal like that around here.