I knew beforehand that my grandpa always hated going to stores and going out and about. When my grandma was here, it was hard to get her around because of her wheelchair, and it a lot of work for him to get her places. Whenever they went anywhere, it took twice as long because of the complications my grandma experienced, and going out was very hard for both of them. My grandpa also really doesn’t like big crowds; they overwhelm him and make him anxious. So driving, of course, made him very anxious, especially given the fact that Austin is so big, and the streets are very crowded and pretty scary at times. Meals on Wheels lifted a weight off his shoulders; he could still get food for himself and my grandma without having to stress out about it. He talked about how the program really relies on volunteers, and how programs like these all really rely on the generosity of others.

He’s been really really appreciative of Meals on Wheels not only for what he describes as “excellent food service,” but also because of a little known program called PALS, which offers pet care and services to Meals on Wheels customers. My grandpa lives alone with his dog, and she means the world to him. When she started to have health problems, people from PALS would take her to the vet and groomers. This program isn’t related to food service, but it goes hand in hand with how many programs often have different services.

One of the main themes my group has noticed regarding food security is that transportation plays a really big role. If people rely on public transportation, for instance, they won’t really be able to go to the grocery store, get whatever they want, and lug all of their bags onto the bus; its too much for them to carry and doing that has a lot of risk. Also, marginalized groups like the disabled or elderly often lack transportation, so we were wondering how people in Austin could get better transportation to increase their chances of being able to get easy access to food.