Retired Holly Teacher Spreads Joy with Meals on Wheels, Invites Others to Volunteer
(Terry Lakins, Nov. 12, 2023)
Holly, MI —Western Oakland Meals on Wheels is looking for volunteers to help by delivering meals to senior citizens, specifically in Holly. With only a good driving record and a background check required, anyone can do it. Janet Stackmiller, a Meals on Wheels volunteer, believes anyone who should lend a helping hand.
When it comes to helping and serving others, Stackmiller has been doing this her whole life. As a career she served the children of Holly Public Schools as a teacher and administrator for over three decades. As a volunteer she has worked with Kaleidoscope, a non-profit organization that provides recreation for disabled people, and the Holly Historical Society, which shares important information about Holly at the Hadley House Museum. Stackmiller even finds time to help with her local church.
Stackmiller has now been retired for 12 years now, and at 84 years old most would just enjoy retirement and leave the rest to someone else. While Stackmiller said she is enjoying retirement, even that could not bench her from volunteering because helping others is too much ingrained in her being. Back in 2015, four years into her retirement, she stumbled onto Meals on Wheels at a volunteer fair in Holly, and the rest was history. Stackmiller now has eight years under her belt with a non-profit organization.
“If you have the time, the desire, and the good health to be able to do it, it’s an opportunity to do something.” Stackmiller said.
Volunteering for Meals on Wheels isn’t just simply dropping food off and leaving for the next destination. Actual contact needs to be made with the senior receiving the meal. As Stackmiller puts it, it is in essence both a delivery and a wellness visit for the senior. If they are unable to contact a senior they are delivering to, either by phone or if they do not answer the door, they do not leave the meal unattended. They have a protocol to keep the meal and then let the Meals on Wheels office know there was no contact, in which the office will reach out to the next of kin. Stackmiller said it is about safety support for the senior in case something has happened.
Though most visits usually only last a few minutes at most, Stackmiller hoped it was an opportunity to be a bright spot in someone’s day. Even simply leading with “how are you doing today” is enough to bring a smile.
“It felt like you were hopefully adding to their day.” Stackmiller said. “People are always very thankful to receive meals.”
While the social parts of the visit usually only last a few minutes each, there is a slow buildup of rapport that occurs over a long period of time. Even though Stackmiller has had many different routes throughout her 8 years in volunteering, that slow buildup weekly does start to have significance.
This was especially true in the height of the covid pandemic when social interaction was at an all-time low. Stackmiller said during the pandemic the deliveries were more helpful than ever because it gave seniors a chance to interact with someone.
During that time Stackmiller was doing as much as four days a week volunteering and would often call ahead during deliveries. Many of those phone calls would become a welcome routine, especially because many of the seniors she delivered to lived alone. A recurring point of discussion often was about past careers, children, and the opportunity to just laugh about something, especially in such a bleak time.
“I got an opportunity to visit with them for a few minutes and over a period of time you get attached to those people.” Stackmiller said. “It was a pleasure for me to get to know some people and chat with them every day.”
These days Stackmiller only delivers one day a week and has a smaller route overall, but the conversations don’t stop. She sees herself doing it for the foreseeable future and encourages anyone to try it out.
“It’s an opportunity to do something one day a week or more if a person has more time.” Stackmiller said. “I’m fortunate to have an opportunity to give back to the community and help other people out to some extent.”
Western Oakland Meals on Wheels lists the following cities on their website as eligible for service: Berkley, Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Clarkston, Clawson, Commerce, Davisburg, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Highland, Holly, Keego Harbor, Madison Heights, Milford, Northville, Novi, Oak Park, Royal Oak, South Lyon, Southfield, Sylvan Lake, Troy, Walled Lake, West Bloomfield, White Lake & Wixom.
While they are always looking for volunteers specifically, they are hoping to find some to help in Holly, which currently has five routes. Most of them take only about two hours on average and start around 9:30 am. For more details call 810-632-2155 to speak with a representative on volunteering, or visit https://www.mealsonwheelsmi.org/home-delivered-meals/
