Terry first heard about Faith in Action from the staff of WV Health Right. For more than a year, he had been
working hard on his health by participating in their direct medical care options. More recently, he had begun taking advantage of the many other health education programs they offer and discovered he qualified for a program that would provide him with free monthly supplemental food designed to help seniors like him meet healthy, nutritious dietary goals.
There was just one problem: Terry had no way to get the large, often heavy box home each month. "I had a rolling suitcase and I'd pack it with the food and lug it on the bus. Usually, I had to walk with it all the way downtown to catch the right bus, and even then, I'd have to take two different buses to get home. It got to be so hard, I'd pretty much decided to give up," he said.
Fortunately, his nutrition instructor at WV Health Right had the idea to call Faith in Action, who agreed to pick Terry up each month and get him home safely with his supplemental food. "It fits right in with our grocery shopping program," said Jennifer Waggener, FIAGKV's Executive Director. "The primary objective of that effort is to make sure our senior care receivers have access to healthy food through our monthly volunteer grocery trips. Giving Terry a ride home with his box of supplemental nutrition is just another path to achieving that goal."
Even though giving him a ride home seems an incredibly simple act of kindness for the volunteer, Terry feels deeply grateful for the help. "Faith in Action has saved me money on bus fare. They've save me money on groceries. They've saved me wear and tear on this old body. They've helped me eat healthy. And they're just kind, good people, on top of it," he said.
"It's a real blessing to know that when I call, they'll answer. They're always there, ready to help and go above and beyond, really. I'm thankful to WV Health Right for introducing me to Faith in Action. It's a good, good thing."