Having a Wheels good time!

Paulette Cross hurries around the basement of Ellis Hospital in Schenectady. 

Cross, a nine-year veteran of Meals on Wheels, looks over her checklist of deliveries she has to make today. She’ll be visiting Arleen Costa, the woman who collects squirrel trinkets, and Kathryn Martin, whose granddaughter runs a hair salon out of the front half of their home, among many other clients. 

At her feet sit three large coolers and four hot boxes, all filled with food for her Meals on Wheels clients. She tosses a few on a push cart and heads to her gray Honda, pausing only to pull up her hood when it starts to rain. “Can’t have a bad hair day,” she smiles. 

Cross checks her list; she has 20 deliveries to make today, which she expects will take around two hours to complete. Some routes can take longer to complete depending on the amount of deliveries and how much time is spent with each client. 

The Schenectady County Meals on Wheels Program has been part of Catholic Charities since 1975. The program delivers warm, nutritious meals daily to the homebound and elderly who are in greatest economic need. 

On March 22, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger joined Cross on her delivery route around Schenectady, helping hand out meals to those in need and blessing the people they visited. Cross said that many of her clients were thrilled to be meeting the Bishop; one even got her hair done just for the occasion. 

“It’s a wonderful thing, engaging people and listening to their stories,” said Bishop Scharfenberger. “I found the spontaneity adds joy to what would otherwise be a routine … it’s really a moment to celebrate life.”

In 2018, Catholic Charities helped bring nutritious food to 380 people throughout Schenectady County, and served a total of 94,000 meals. The program is sustained through federal funding and donations. Clients are encouraged to provide a suggested donation of $3.50 for each meal, but there is no obligation to donate. 

“Needless to say, to bring in a hot meal everyday at lunch time, it’s their nutrition. This is the food they have to eat,” said Marlene Hildenbrandt, executive director of Catholic Charities Senior Caregivers and Support Services. “It has helped people to stay at home.”

Costa said that the Meals on Wheels program “allows me to be independent.” Another benefit, she adds, is the potato salad and coleslaw, which she’s promises “are the best.”

Meals on Wheels also allows drivers to talk with their clients and ensure that everyone is safe, healthy and happy: “The staff of Meals on Wheels are the eyes and ears of those people,” said Hildenbrandt.

Cross started working for Meals on Wheels after having to take an early retirement; working part-time with the Catholic Charities program was a natural fit. After a while, she said, it’s like the clients become “part of your family.”

Cross knows her clients’ hobbies and daily schedules. She knows when their family is coming to visit or when they’re getting their hair done. After trash night, she brings their garbage cans at the end of the driveway up to the top: “It’s the little things” that help, she said. 

At each stop, Bishop Scharfenberger helped Cross place the client’s meal in a bag before they brought it to the door. Sometimes they were greeted by a client’s aid; other clients have their neighbor pick up their meal and bring it by later. 

Caroline Waterman uses a unique retrieval system: she tosses a Vera Bradley bag attached to a blue rope from the second-story window of her home.

It allows Waterman to get her meal while avoiding the stairs, which can be difficult to tackle daily.

“This is a great system!” Bishop Scharfenberger commented. Waterman gave a smile, her pulley system was working very well. 

At another stop, the Bishop spoke Italian with Angelo Gardino, who was delighted to speak in his native tongue. The two discussed only the most important things: eggplant, zucchini and other food dishes.

“It’s an opportunity to find out what’s happening in people’s lives and make some connections,” said the Bishop about Meals on Wheels. “And people open up their homes and their hearts, and in a way, (that’s) the way the Lord reaches us.”