Below is the February 2025 Wellness Column as it appeared in print in The Daily Mining Gazette. This month's column was written by Kathleen Harter, Program Director at Copper Shores Meals on Wheels.
Have you ever had a conversation with someone that makes you pause and step back for a moment? Recently, I was purchasing something for work when I had a very engaging conversation with the business owner. It was one of those conversations that leaves you thinking and reflecting on the words and sentiments that were shared.
As the business owner entered the tax-exempt information, he asked about Copper Shores and all the changes occurring with the community health foundation. We had a pleasant exchange of questions and answers as I dove into the Foundation history and explained how Meals on Wheels came to be under the Foundation umbrella. The questions were direct with a sincere interest to learn and I was appreciating the curiosity. Our open communication led the business owner to cautiously state, “I don’t mean to sound cold or too direct, but why don’t people take care of their families? Why are so many people needing meals delivered to them? Aren’t people cooking for others and visiting their parents or family members?”
I answered his question by sharing a personal experience. Our conversation was on a Friday afternoon and the following Tuesday, my own mom was heading to Wisconsin for a surgery. My parents live in a rural area here in the Upper Peninsula and my brother and I are the only living family members they have. My brother lives in Minneapolis. My husband and I work in Hancock and Houghton, about two hours from where they live. I would like to relocate my parents closer to us, but they can’t afford the housing, and they’ve lived in their community for the past 30 years. They are comfortable in their home. They’ve made accessibility modifications as they’ve aged and they have a strong support system of neighbors that help with snow removal and roof raking. My husband and I deliver firewood to them each year, and we assist with projects that are beyond their capabilities during the weekends that we visit. But I’m wrestling with the fact that my dad is 85 and my mom is 79, and I’m two hours away and unable to help them more.
I appreciated the business owner’s questions and frustration with families not taking care of their parents more but as I shared my story, he nodded and said that he too struggles with helping his own parents who live outside of Houghton County. I shared that services like Meals on Wheels allows people to keep working versus leaving jobs to become full time caretakers. The daily meal delivery is a reminder for an older person struggling with dementia to eat lunch that day. The check-in of that senior helps keep seniors safe and provides peace of mind to family members who are working. It’s a circle of community care that we provide as we look out for one another.
We are grateful for the opportunity to take care of the seniors of Houghton and Keweenaw County just as I appreciate the home delivered meals being delivered that my parents may someday need in their community. As we closed our conversation, the business owner reached across the counter and shook my hand. We both said thank you and I’m looking forward to my next purchase and how our conversation will continue.
Copper Shores Meals on Wheels delivers 300 home-cooked meals to seniors in Houghton and Keweenaw County each weekday. Learn more about the services offered at coppershores.org/mealsonwheels.