Have you heard the parable about the starfish on the beach? To paraphrase, the story is of a man walking along the shoreline when he comes upon a young boy tossing starfish from the sand back into the ocean. When asked why he’s doing this, the boy says that the tide has washed the starfish onto the beach, and that they’ll be stranded and will die unless they’re thrown back. The man points out to the boy that he could never save every stranded starfish along this several-mile stretch of beach, so his efforts really don’t matter. The boy bends down, picks up a starfish and says, “but it matters to this one” before he tosses it into the sea.
Working with our Meals on Wheels program, I spend a lot of time visiting with our homebound senior clients, whether over the phone or in-person, as I am delivering them a meal. Our delivery area is vast – covering miles and miles of Oklahoma County. I’ve seen so much more of our city than I ever had before I delivered Meals on Wheels.
In certain areas, we see high concentrations of homebound seniors needing our services. For the driver, this makes for an efficient route, as they can provide a nourishing meal to several seniors without ever encountering a stop light. However, it’s often the areas where we don’t serve as many clients that make me stop and think. As I’m walking up to someone’s door, I’ll look down the street and wonder about the other people living in the neighborhood. I think to myself, “Are they seniors as well? Could they be homebound too? Are they able to access the resources they need? What about the people outside of our area – who is helping them? Does what we’re doing even matter?”
I can become overwhelmed with the fear that we are not reaching everyone who needs our program. I find myself feeling guilt and anxiety that, despite all the good we’re doing, it still isn’t enough. It’s usually around this point in my mental spiraling that the client answers the door, and immediately I’m grounded in the present. “How are you today?” I’ll say. “I’ve got Chef Scott’s famous meatloaf for you!” And then I remember that what we do does matter, because it matters to this one.
Morgan Jones, Associate Director of Meals on Wheels OKC
