Jefferson Award winners have kept the meals coming for 21 years...

Jefferson Award winners have kept the meals coming for 21 years Jefferson Award winners have kept the meals coming for 21 years|

Sue Holman and Susan Weeks have a drive to help Sonoma residents in need – quite literally, in fact, as they’ve spent the last two decades running Meals on Wheels of Sonoma.

And, while they don’t seek recognition for their support for housebound community members, such good deeds rarely go unnoticed – which is why Holman and Weeks were recently named Jefferson Award recipients, an honor for those whom the Jefferson Awards Foundation describes as “the quiet heroes who show (people) can make a difference in our community.”

The foundation regularly pays tribute to dedicated community members, and partners with local media to get the word out, in this case the SF-based KPIX TV, which profiles local Jefferson recipients every Wednesday. Holman and Weeks’ segment was slated to air this month; look for it online at sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.

Weeks and Holman have had their “wheels” in motion in Sonoma for 21 years, providing two meals a day, five days a week to dozens of people in need.

“The most gratifying thing is getting a letter or a note from one of our clients thanking us,” Weeks says. “We’ve saved their lives (a note might say), we’ve turned their lives around.”

More than 100 volunteers work throughout the week to serve around 60 clients. As a nonprofit and a non-government organization, they were hard at work even on Presidents Day. Most other Meals on Wheels services, such as the one run by Sonoma’s Council on Aging are subsidized – but not this one.

“We charge $25 per week for those who can afford it,” Weeks says.

It’s just barely enough to keep their operation running, but they said the number of paying clients is on the rise, with about 60 percent of clients able to meet the weekly payment.

While they’re dedicated to helping those who are unable to leave their homes to buy groceries and prepare food on a daily basis, their ultimate goal is for clients to be able to take care of themselves.

“We try to get people well, to get them back on their feet,” Holman says.

While many Meals on Wheels services provide only for seniors, Weeks and Holman serve people of all ages.

Volunteers visit and deliver food every weekday, making for heartwarming reunions every Monday.

“I like driving on Mondays because clients haven’t seen us since Friday,” says Pat Brown, a volunteer with the organization for 12 years. Her husband, Norm, is a 10-year volunteer and serves on the board of directors.

According to many volunteers, the work is rewarding but also fun.

“It’s a joy to see our clients each day. They love to see us,” says Sonoma resident Sharon Gilligan, who also particularly enjoys the Monday visits. Gilligan first volunteered with Meals on Wheels decades ago, and started to donate her time once again after retiring.

Another key component in the operation is Trinity Episcopal Church, which donates its kitchen, where volunteers prepare the meals, have lunch, and do the dishes Monday through Friday.

“Sue and Susan cook the meals themselves on Mondays and Thursdays,” Norm says.

The Jefferson Award isn’t the first local recognition Holman and Weeks have enjoyed – in 2004, they were named Sonoma Alcaldessas, or honorary mayors, for their outstanding community service. They hope the recognition the Jefferson Award brings to them from beyond Sonoma will help their efforts to make more of a difference.

Anyone may nominate a person or persons at the Jefferson Awards’ website, jeffersonawards.org. Past winners from Sonoma include Kathy Witkowicki, founder of Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance.

Meals on Wheels of Sonoma is accepting new volunteers. They are looking for drivers who can come in once a week for two hours and substitute drivers to come in about twice a month.

For more information on volunteering or becoming a client, call 935-9141.

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