On a smoky afternoon I hopped into the car with Fishline volunteer Michael Amrich to deliver groceries to home-bound people here in the Poulsbo community. Michael’s usual partner, Ann Wilder, was out, and, since we employ the buddy system, I took advantage of this opportunity to learn more about Fishline’s Home Delivery Program. Here how it works: Michael and Ann call each person on their list, they fulfill their order by shopping our market (foodbank), they load the groceries into a van and do their route. Sometimes it’s only a few stops, but in the past they’ve had as many as a dozen households. There’s a gentleman who lives on his boat in Liberty Bay. We leave his groceries at Marina Market and they ensure he receives them. A delivery goes to a mom and her preschool-aged daughter. Our route that day was in city limits but they’ve delivered as far as Lowfall. Pretty simple, right?
But here’s how it really works…
Michael and Ann have known these folks, sometimes for years. They are privy to details about their lives, like whether a grandchild is coming to visit or if they have an aversion to potato salad. They know their health histories and whether they should knock or ring the doorbell. Also, they might be the only visitors stopping by that day…or even that week. They clearly deliver more than just food.
So, when the news came the other day that Ruth—who had been receiving home delivery from the program’s inception—passed away, our volunteers took the news as if she were family. They, of course, will miss her terribly. They also know that there are deliveries to be made and were here with smiles on their faces this morning, ready to make it work.