WS Chronicle

By Joel McIver

Delivering Meals-on-Wheels provides a rewarding experience for many volunteers, but this is greatly magnified when the experience is shared with a loved one. 

Andrew Hano has been fortunate to experience the satisfaction of volunteering firsthand with his daughter. Andrew first volunteered to deliver Meals-on-Wheels in 2004 because he wanted a service opportunity that he could perform with his then three-year-old daughter, Abigail, and found it to be a great fit. Back then, he was a stay-at-home dad and wanted not only to help others, but to personally grow closer to the community. 

“Delivering meals provided me, Abigail, and later my son, a broader view of Winston-Salem. We visited parts of the city that we would, otherwise, never have known existed. We met and developed a rapport with a variety of people, each with such interesting stories.” 

Providing an experience that would shape his children in positive ways was also a major motivation. “I wanted an experience that would empower Abigail and her brother. Kids learn by doing. A child, even age three, is able to do Meals-on-Wheels. She carried the meal. She knocked on the door. She said hello.”

Andrew’s foresight seems to have paid off. Today, Abigail is a sophomore at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, studying global health and biology with a minor in Spanish as she prepares for a future career helping people. Abigail said, “The early experiences I had volunteering definitely have had an impact on the person I am today and the passion I have for equitable distribution of opportunity. My current major focuses on the allocation of resources, specifically those that have to do with healthcare, but also takes into account the factors that may be affecting one’s health that are out of their control, like race, environment, and socioeconomic status.” 

Abigail continues to give back to the community. “In addition, I have enjoyed being involved with a number of nonprofit organizations. I would not have strived to be a part of all these incredible opportunities if I was not exposed to service and the importance of getting to know the entirety of my community at such a young age.”

Andrew says that relationship building is one of the best parts of the volunteer job. They got to know the participants and looked forward to checking in and sharing the latest. “I had a participant (pre-pandemic) who would not let me go until she gave me a hug. Best part of my day!”

The memories of volunteering as a child continue to remain with and inspire Abigail and have shaped how she views volunteering today. She said, “I think it is greatly important for every child to have the opportunity to volunteer as the exposure to difficulties faced by those in a community can have a lasting impact on that child as they grow up and begin to form their personal values.”

Seeing the impact volunteering had on his children gives Andrew a sense of pride. He’s quick to note that both of his children continue to relate well with older adults and easily take on service opportunities. “Abigail, in particular, is considering careers in public health,” said Andrew. “Volunteering at a young age and continuing to do so over time instilled service in them as part of their identity.”

Although being a fulltime, out-of-state college student prevents her from joining her dad on Meals-on-Wheels routes often, she loves to jump in when she’s home from school. “It is interesting to deliver meals now that I have so many more experiences under my belt, along with more knowledge of our community and the world as a whole. There are moments where I am deeply struck by what we are doing because I have such a better understanding of the work and how important these deliveries are.” 

Abigail expressed pride in her father, as well. “As I got older and understood the importance of volunteering in one’s community, it was clear to me that my father had introduced me to something that would shape my values, ways of thought, studies, and future work. His care for others is one of the qualities that I most hope others may see in me one day. I am endlessly proud to be able to tell others of the work my dad does because, to me, it is one the coolest things one can commit to.” 

Andrew loves having the opportunity to deliver with his daughter during her school breaks. In a way, it brings their Meals-on-Wheels journey full circle. “I valued the time we spent together when she was a preschooler and I value the time now. It is also nice that she can drive!”

For more information on Senior Services and the Meals-On-Wheels program, visit www.seniorservicesinc.org.

Joel McIver is the vice president for community engagement for Senior Services.