Danville couple deliver meals to doorsteps of senior citizens

DANVILLE — It’s Wednesday morning around 10 a.m. and the smell of freshly-cooked cabbage goulash fills the basement of Danville United Methodist Church. Volunteers carefully fill each tray for delivery.

Today, Francis and Cora Durbin will be the couriers.

For the last 24 years, 91-year-old Francis and 86-year-old Cora have spent their Wednesday mornings delivering meals to senior citizens aged 60 and older — and they have no plans to stop.

Volunteers from the start

The Hot Meals program began in the early 2000s as a volunteer initiative through the church. The Durbins joined the program in 2002.

“I had cousins that were delivering hot meals, and they were moving to Virginia to join their children, so there was a vacancy,” Cora said.

While they initially planned to act only as backup drivers, the couple quickly found themselves delivering meals once a week.

“Originally, the idea was we were going to fill in for people. Well, that never happened,” Cora laughed. “It makes our week. We know exactly what day Wednesday is.”

“It’s the same time we come into Danville anyway,” Francis added. “We set that up because of adoration (at the church).”

The Durbins have been apart of the Danville community their entire lives and raised nine children together in the area. Francis previously volunteered for the Interchurch Social Services Danville branch, but it was Cora who pushed him to begin delivering meals.

“She’s the one that really influenced me,” Francis said.

Over two decades later, they’re still at it.

Meeting clients where they are

In 2004, Sanctuary Community Action took over the program to assist with funding. Director Barb Mickley spoke about the importance of the program to local seniors.

“Many of the seniors live alone, and their families are not neglecting them, but they’re all working families. It’s a real plus to (the seniors) to be able to have the meals delivered to them directly,” Mickley explained.

On average, the program serves 70 people a week and an average of 45 individuals each weekday.

“All together, through the course of these 20-plus years, (we) have probably served 500 to 600 different people,” Mickley said.

Many of the seniors — or “clients,” as Mickley calls them — are homebound and unable to cook for themselves.

“We don’t realize how it has affected the community until the clients start sharing their experience with us, and how much they appreciate us,” Mickley said.

Checking in

While the program focuses on providing meals, it also provides much-needed support and opportunities to check in with clients. In some cases, this can be life-altering.

“There was this young fella … he had been in a terrible automobile accident and wasn’t able to get around well,” Cora said. “This one time we came to his house, and he was on the ground outside.

“What had happened, there was a limb on a tree … he had decided it was low enough he could cut it. Well, he wasn’t stable enough and he fell down.”

The Durbins discovered him outside of his home soon afterward.

“He wasn’t a bit concerned because we hadn’t gotten there yet to give him his meal. He knew help was coming,” Cora said.

Mickley shared the story of another man who was using the walls of his home to move around.

“I said, ‘I’ve got a walker here. Would you like to try it? We’ll bring it out to you. It doesn’t cost a dime.’ And he said ‘I can try it,'” Mickley recalled. “I’m hoping it’s working for him.”

Other than providing assistance, the program also gives clients an opportunity to socialize.

“It’s another reason for stopping with a meal,” Cora said. “You can check and see if everybody’s doing OK. Barb said, ‘that’s just as important as the food; (the clients) need that too.'”

Before they leave on their route for today, the Durbins are all smiles while sporting matching T-shirts, reading “S.A.C. Hot Meals.” A plate of food on wheels is displayed between the text.

“It seems it comes so natural … it works out perfect for us,” Cora said.