The True Mission of Moveable Feast

On Tuesday, December 8, AJ, Rebecca, and I went on our final route for Moveable Feast Lexington.  After we were all out of class, we proceeded to Moveable Feast to pick up and deliver the boxed meals to the various recipients in the northwest part of Lexington.  Seeing as we had three people, I took the job of driving while AJ served as the navigator and Rebecca the meal organizer. 

Everything proceeded as normal on this route.  

A picture of me serving as the driver on this particular route.

Rebecca and AJ walking meals to a house.

Having driven this route for my first experience at Moveable Feast, I had a basic familiarity of the residents to whom we were delivering.  The usual smiling faces of the children and parents of the families we delivered to greeted us at the door.  However, as we approached the end of the route, something particularly humbling occurred that reminded me of reality and gravity of the service that we were performing.

After delivering a meal to an apartment, AJ got mixed up with the directions as there was the framework and address of a house on our sheet, however, there was no name nor information regarding who received the food or how many meals she received.  After organizing the directions and proceeding to the following house, I began to realize why the sheet was mixed up.  I recall being told that it was a realistic likelihood that the woman at that particular (missing) house could be dead upon arriving to her residence.  I figured out that this woman had passed away and this is why she was not on the list.

This was particularly impactful on me.  I remember bringing this woman a meal when I first started volunteering.  I remember moving her wheelchair to her table and placing silverware in front of her so she would be able to eat.  And mostly, I remembered her kindly and benevolent character despite her morbid condition.   The prospect of her death surprised me at first, but after I thought about it, it humbled me into realizing the value of the service we were performing.

The woman in her sickly state was given some spark of happiness and comfort when we had previously brought her meal to her.  Though Moveable Feast might not be able to stave off death for the beneficiaries of the service, it can certainly bring just a bit more comfort to those who are in hospice care.  Moveable Feast engenders a feeling of care for those who feel so uncared for.  This is what I realize is the most valuable mission of Moveable Feast.

Morbidity is something that is often not coped with in our society.  Specifically, the dying who are without family or funds to provide for them are often forgotten about.  I am proud to say that Moveable Feast helps provides for this specific group of people. A simple hello, a hot meal, and a smile is often all it takes for someone in the most morbid condition to feel a glimmer of love and hope.