For many people, retirement conjures up images of rest and relaxation. When Larry Roberts retired in July 2007, he gave that rest and relaxation a try — for about 2 weeks! Larry quickly realized he wanted to do more with his new-found spare time: he wanted to give back to his community and do something useful for others.
Larry has lived in Fremont for over 40 years, and loves the city and its people. So since he likes driving, he gave Meals on Wheels a spin. He figured if he didn’t like it, he’d move on and try volunteering somewhere else. We are very pleased to report that, after six years, Larry is still volunteering for us. In fact he is one of our most reliable drivers and usually delivers meals 5 days a week!
LIFE ElderCare is very grateful to Larry for being such a dependable volunteer for our Meals on Wheels program. Barbara Emge, LIFE’s Meals on Wheels Coordinator, knows first-hand just how reliable Larry is. Says Barbara, “He’s always there when we need him, and he always takes that little extra step to think things through, offering help and suggestions to make things run easier. We know Larry could have chosen to volunteer for many agencies, and we’re sure glad he chose us!”
When asked why he keeps volunteering for us, Larry says he really loves getting to know our clients. And by all accounts, our clients love him, too. Larry also enjoys the camaraderie that the Meals on Wheels drivers share. Every day before starting their routes, the drivers chat about the news, swap a few jokes, and generally catch up with one another. That sense of community, and the feeling he gets from helping others, keeps him coming back. Larry says, “I consider myself lucky in a lot of ways. You see what a lot of the clients have gone through; I hope that, should I get in a similar situation, someone would bring me food and visit me. You live in this community for so many years, it’s nice to give something back. It feels good.”
