Some longtime volunteers find their way back after a new chapter in life begins. When she retired, Julie didn’t go searching for a new purpose—she simply returned to a place that had given her one years before: Coal Creek Meals on Wheels. We are so thankful Julie chose to come back and share her heart, time, and energy with our neighbors once again.
“As soon as I retired in June of 2022, I knew I wanted to return to CCMOW as a volunteer, as I had been with my two young children, before they began their public education career.”
Her connection to CCMOW goes back years, to when her kids were little and joined her on deliveries. Stepping back into volunteering after retirement, she immediately noticed how much had changed—and how much had stayed the same. “I was very impressed with the changes and advancements that had been made since the days we delivered a brown-paper lunch-sack (I'm not even sure what was in the bag!) and an 8oz carton of milk.”
Julie Mueller, CCMOW Board Member
Today’s meals look quite different from those early days. CCMOW had begun delivering a variety of hot meals with nutritious sides. Those changes reflect the same mission, carried forward with new tools and new ideas: making sure our neighbors have not just food, but consistency, care, and connection.
A Beloved Tuesday Route at the Lafayette Library
When a new opportunity opened up at the Lafayette Library, she raised her hand.
“When we began offering hot meals at the Lafayette Library in September 2023, I took the Tuesday delivery until "someone else is found." Well, I'm still there and will arm-wrestle anyone who tries to take this delivery from me!”
That “temporary” Tuesday shift quickly became a treasured constant in her week. The library meals are about more than food—they’ve become a place where familiar faces gather, share stories, and check in with one another.
“In the past two years I have come to know many of the folks who stop by the Library for a hot lunch on Tuesdays. I enjoy catching up with them and find the relationships I have formed at the Library enriching.”
Those relationships are at the heart of what CCMOW strives to build: a community where people feel seen, remembered, and valued.
“My guess is, any of our delivery volunteers would say the same!”
Her experience is a reminder that while meals nourish the body, it’s the connections—over a doorway, at a library table, with a smile and a short conversation—that nourish the spirit.
Are you interested in becoming a volunteer with Coal Creek Meals on Wheels? We'd love to speak with you! Visit: coalcreekmow.org/get-involved
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