I am a driver, but not just any driver: a deliverer. Most people see me as a deliverer of food, but that’s only half my job. I deliver optimism, joy, assistance, and support.
I used to work on the railroads, but I injured my back and had to quit. I hit a low in my life and was out of work.
But I prayed to God that he would heal me and get me back on track and that’s exactly what he did. With a bad back, my options were limited.
I looked for jobs that would allow me to do a few of the things I loved: helping people and traveling. Then God led me to Life Stream.
Life Stream brought me on as a driver to deliver hot food to people living in poverty in Delaware County as well as the surrounding counties.
Many of these people live well below the poverty line and most of them are disabled. Some of them can’t even leave their home. As a matter of fact, for some of them, I’m the only person they see for weeks at a time, and it’s only for a short amount of time.
As much as a I look forward to seeing their faces when they see me, and by me I just mean anyone, for the first time that day, this can be very problematic. With the majority being elderly and some of them living alone, if they fall and hurt themselves, I might be the only one that can save them. If they fall in the middle of the night, they have to wait until I get there in the morning before anyone knows they are injured.
For one instance, I had just delivered to an elderly woman. As the door shut, I heard a very slight “thunk” behind me, and I decided to check and make sure she was fine. She had actually fallen and hurt herself badly, and I had to call for medical assistance. If I hadn’t heard her fall or decided that the noise I heard was nothing, she may not have survived the injury.
But, I guess that’s what makes the job worth it. I know I’m making a difference in someone’s life.
— As told to and written by Alec Brenneman, Facing Project editor
This story originally appeared in Facing Poverty, a publication of The Facing Project that was organized by TEAMwork for Quality Living in Muncie, Indiana.