The recent landslide in Rancho Palos Verdes left many residents without gas or electricity.
One of the unfortunate hardships of this tragedy was the ability to prepare food. San Pedro Meals on Wheels and the San Pedro Salvation Army are collaborating to bring meals to residents in the slide area.
Meals on Wheels prepares the meals, and the Salvation Army delivers them. However, it is uncertain how long the Salvation Army can continue these efforts. Volunteers are sought to help deliver meals locally and to the slide area in RPV. Meals on Wheels is hoping more people affected by hardship in Rancho Palos Verdes will take advantage of their services.
San Pedro Meals on Wheels, a grassroots nonprofit agency, is known for delivering nutritious meals to local seniors in need at a minimum cost. What many people do not know is that Meals on Wheels serves and provides healthy meals to people who are unable to cook, drive, shop, or leave their homes.
Meals on Wheels serves a variety of clients, including homebound seniors, individuals recovering at home after a hospital stay, and people unable to use their kitchen due to remodeling, fires, floods, and landslides.
“Sometimes people who need food are too proud to ask for help and do not want to take charity,” says Mike Caccavalla, office administrator for San Pedro Meals on Wheels. “We are a nonprofit agency that makes sure you eat. We are here to help you.”
Each meal delivery costs $8.50 and includes two meals—one hot meal with fresh produce and a sandwich sack lunch to eat later. There is a limited amount of free meals dependent on funding and grants.
The organization relies on volunteers and donations of food and money to offer meals at such a low price. Local stores and other nonprofit agencies donate surplus food, which Meals on Wheels’ Chef Ish turns into flavorful and nutritious meals. Participants are also eligible for a free monthly box of shelf-stable food delivered to their door for weekends when Meals on Wheels is not open.
On any given morning, San Pedro Meals on Wheels is a busy hive of activity with volunteer drivers coming and going to the church. Caccavalla mans the office and fields calls from clients, donors, and volunteers in his signature-friendly fashion.
Three times a week, volunteers assist Ish at “Chop and Chat.” Volunteers chop donated produce while being part of the magic of Chef Ish’s cooking skills. Groups can also help—volunteers from Easter Seals sort donated food regularly and help clean. Small gifts are delivered during the holidays, and Santa visits each client at their door.
There is a sense that meaningful work is being done, feeding people who need help while creating a sense of community. With only two part-time staff members and 80 volunteers, Meals on Wheels is a no-frills operation that enhances our community.
Sometimes, the only person an elderly homebound senior will see during the day is a friendly volunteer who drops off their meal. Recently, Meals on Wheels lost two participants—the volunteers delivering the food were the last to see the clients alive. Caccavalla believes their last hours were better, having seen a friendly volunteer at their door rather than being alone all day.
Personally, one of the last people my dad saw before he died unexpectedly was a volunteer from Meals on Wheels. After he passed, I saw the applesauce cup by his chair that he was nibbling on, brought earlier as part of his meal. Even though someone else was at home with him, I am forever grateful for those meal deliveries and the spark of connection he got when he answered the door.
For more information about donating, volunteering, or receiving meals, visit sanpedromealsonwheels.org or call (310) 832-7335. San Pedro Meals on Wheels is located at 721 S. Averill Avenue. spt
