3 Generations of Meals on Wheels

I grew up next to a Meals on Wheels cooler in the back seat of my mom’s car in Boulder, CO. While my memories of those times are fuzzy, I don’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t connected to Meals on Wheels.

My grandma delivered Meals on Wheels in Boulder as well. I remember every time my mom and I would pass an apartment building near the Senior Center, she would point it out to me and say, “That’s where your grandma delivered Meals on Wheels for years and years.” I can only imagine the relationships my grandma had with each client. Her good nature and good humor must have created some lasting friendships. I imagine her bringing a client a good book she had just finished reading or having a cup of coffee with the last client on her route. Those stories are lost now with her passing many years ago, but my imagination keeps her dedication and connection to her fellow community members alive.

After volunteering with Meals on Wheels Boulder for many years, my mom was hired as a part-time program coordinator. She job-shared with two other women who soon became her very close and lifelong friends. In high school, I would visit her at work, which was located inside the Boulder Senior Center, and could see how much she connected with volunteers and other staff members. I remember being proud of her, sitting in the corner of her office doing homework and listening to her do a new client intake with such genuine care and compassion.

The summer after my freshman year in high school, my mom gave me a call from work. Something had happened with their dishwasher, and the kitchen needed some help ASAP! That was the moment I took my next step into my life with Meals on Wheels.

I started washing dishes and was eventually invited to work in the kitchen during the summers. I learned how to use industrial mixers to make brownies, open tons of cans with the giant can opener, and prepare the vegetarian option each day for our clients. I remember sealing and packing up the meals, my mom or her coworkers helping and chatting with volunteers, and cracking jokes with the other cooks.

When I started college at the University of Colorado Boulder, I continued my connection with Meals on Wheels. I was one of the first people on my mom’s call list to fill in for drivers if someone canceled at the last minute. If I didn’t have class or work at the bagel shop by my house, I would always say yes. I drove routes all around Boulder.

While I never had the chance to get to know any of the clients very well, I did feel more connected to my mom. I would call her with any updates or issues on my routes, and she would be there for me as well as for each and every client. I remember calling her in the office while out on a route after a client wouldn’t stop screaming at me for ringing his doorbell.

“That happens a lot with that client! I will give him a call to make sure everything is ok.” she assured me. Her voice always made me feel comforted. 

I also remember the kind greetings for the clients as they commented on how young I was to be delivering meals and making small talk about their gardens or pets. Those conversations and the welcoming Meals on Wheels staff made me feel like part of something.

After graduating college and traveling for a while, I came back to Boulder to look for a job. I was interested when I saw a job posting for a program coordinator at Meals on Wheels Fort Collins. I told my mom about it immediately, and she was excited that I was going to apply for it. Because of my many years already with Meals on Wheels and my lifelong connection to the organization, I got the job.

I moved up to Fort Collins and spent two years learning A LOT. I learned about client intakes, which included home visits. I learned how to make routes and coordinate volunteers. I made friends with the cooks who made our meals in the Poudre Valley Hospital kitchen. I remember trading lots of workplace gossip with my mom as she worked through issues with her Meals on Wheels and I with mine.

She eventually retired from her position around the same time my dad retired. I left my position at Meals on Wheels Fort Collins to pursue a job at a local nonprofit farm.

Even though neither of us were working or delivering for Meals on Wheels during the following years, my grandpa still received meals.  He was what we call a "restaurant client” where he picked certain meals he enjoyed instead of getting meals on a regular schedule. I used to visit my grandpa often in Boulder and remember sitting around the round kitchen table drinking a Fresca while he opened up his freshly delivered Meals on Wheels menu and started circling which meals he wanted.  He particularly perked up and circle multiple times the day that had Beefy Macaroni!

Fast forward to 2024. My mom had been fighting stage 4 peritoneal cancer for four years by then. The ups and downs of her illness had my whole family reeling. But in my attempt to find some joy and more purpose in my life, I jumped at the chance to apply for a kitchen position at Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud. I had been working as the Deli Manager at the Fort Collins Food Co-op for a few years and wanted to get back to my roots.

I was offered a temporary kitchen position at Meals on Wheels of Loveland and Berthoud, which soon grew into a permanent position, followed by a grant writing role and then a communications specialist role. I knew my mom was happy that I was continuing our family tradition.

We had talked about having her and my dad come up for lunch one day at Meals on Wheels to introduce her to my new work family, but she passed away in November 2025 before we could have our lunch date.

Not only was she my mom, but she was my best friend and role model. She showed me what community care looked like through her dedication to Meals on Wheels and showed me that the work I do in this world can have purpose.

As I continue my work here at Meals on Wheels, I think about her every day and how I will continue the Meals on Wheels legacy she and my grandma created.

Lynn, Dana and Selma.