Meals on Wheels, for me personally at first, was just a requirement that I had to fulfill as part of being a member of the New Rochelle High School Football Team. While I wasn’t unfamiliar with the name “Meals on Wheels,” as I heard it many times coming up in my grandmother, Dr. Zelma Henriques’ home, I was unfamiliar with what exactly Meals on Wheels of New Rochelle did.

I remember Coach D organizing us into groups and sending us to what is currently “Montefiore New Rochelle” on a Sunday morning which quite frankly, none of us were really enthused with. Being a football player at New Rochelle, under Coach D was like having a fulltime job with school and practice throughout the week, games on Fridays and Saturdays, normally Sundays we would get some relief with film and maybe a pool workout. This Sunday was different however.

After arriving at the hospital, a few of my teammates and I were given trays of food and beverage along with a list of names and addresses and we were told we were to deliver the trays to each person at their home. The very kind woman that coordinated all of this at the hospital explained to the group that these people were incapable of going out and acquiring their groceries and everyday needs, on their own. Immediately after hearing that, I knew I was spending my Sunday doing what I was supposed to do. I mentioned my Grandmother earlier, and growing up and being around her all the time, one of the many things I picked up along the way was to be a "giving person". Mother Dear, as we call her, always preached to my siblings and I (and even my friends when they would come over) that “in this life, we must reach back and help someone whenever we have the opportunity.” God put us here to serve others, and there’s going to be times in everyone's life when they’re going to need help. It’s our job to help them and hopefully one day, help will come to you when needed.

Cars were loaded up with with two people and a certain number of trays. My best friend Aidan and I went on our way. The first few homes were very simple. kock on the door, tell the recipients who we were, set their tray down and wished them a nice day on the way out. Very simple and quick. Aidan and I got to the last two homes on the list. Both apartments, not too far from each other and we were expecting the same sort of procedure we had for the first few, but got so much more than what we bargained for.. in the best way possible.

Arriving at the first apartment, we were greeted at the door by the wife of an elderly War Veteran. The gentleman was one of the most pleasant, optimistic people I've met in my life. We walked in and he asked us to set what we had down on the table. Of course, we obliged but then, out of the blue, he began telling jokes . He made us laugh and brightened our day, while he was bound to a wheelchair and couldn’t even leave his home to get the essentials he needed for himself. I remembered asking myself at that moment, “would you be trying to make someone’s day if you were in that position Jared?” and before I could even come up with an answer in my head, the gentleman began telling us how he ended up in the wheelchair. And while I don't remember all the exact details, he told us that he lost a leg in an incident at war. The man fought on behalf of our country, and came back home a different man physically, but he was a stronger, more resilient and funnier individual for it. I found it very inspiring that he could go through all that he did and still have such a positive outlook on life. That gentleman sticks with me to this day and on my worst days I try to think of him.

After a few more laughs with our new friend, Aidan and I were on to our last delivery of the day. We arrived at an apartment and got buzzed in from the lobby by an elderly woman. After finding her apartment, she generously welcomed us inside where we dropped off her tray on her dining room table. The woman then proceeded to thank Aidan and I continuously. You could see from her demeanor that she was very grateful for the gesture. She then began to tell us how her husband passed away within the last year and she’s alone. She told us we were the only faces that she saw or spoke to in the last two weeks. That immediately hurt my heart for her and we all hugged. Aidan and I sat with her for about another 10-15 minutes, just getting to know each other. We told her about football and what our love lives were like as 16 year olds in 2017 and she shared how it was growing up for her and what her love life was like back when she was 16. That woman touched my heart and I will never forget her.

All in all, my reasoning for telling these stories was just to show the impact Meals on Wheels can have, not only on the recipient but on the person or people doing the deliveries as well. I will never ever forget my experience with Meals on Wheels or the lessons I learned while on that journey. I encourage all youth to at least try helping deliver Meals on Wheels. The older generation has a vast pool of knowledge and as a younger generation, we would be foolish to not listen, absorb and respect all of the stories and lessons they wish to share. The thing that they want to see more than anything is for this generation to not make the mistakes or go through the things that they had to endure. For that we will be indebted to the older generation forever. The same way I’m indebted to Meals on Wheels for the opportunity to meet some of the coolest people, that I would never have met otherwise.