By Ana Breton

Dolly Holt describes Claire as someone who looked like a Russian grandmother: in her late 80s with a five-foot frame, frail fingers and white hair always fashioned in a small, neat bun.

Holt also remembers the glasses Claire wore, which were pretty pointless, Holt said, because Claire was mostly blind.

Holt, a graduate student in bioengineering, is part of the Meals on Wheels program, which delivers lunches to senior citizens like Claire who don’t have the financial resources to afford food.

And even though the bioengineering program at the U has collaborated with MOW for more than 15 years, most of the students who participate also remember Claire.

“She’s just nice to all the volunteers,” Holt said. “And although she can’t see, she knows who all the volunteers are.”

Scott Sundberg, a graduate student in bioengineering, said that once, while he was taking Claire lunch, he told her that he was worried because his wife was having surgery in the hospital.

“She gave me a couple of cutie oranges to give to my wife, saying how hospital food was horrible and how she deserved something good to eat,” Sundberg said. “She is a very caring person and a great friend.”

The program is currently looking for more volunteers to join the project.

Because there are only about a dozen participants, when a student has to cancel a delivery, the clients suffer, Holt said.

“It’s a horrible thing if no one goes,” she said. “It’s stressful and very hard on them.”

The 15 bioengineering students who take part in the program make about eight to 10 stops delivering food during their own lunch hour. The students deliver in pairs every other week using alternative turns to ensure the clients receive food on a daily basis.

Some stops are routine, with a quick hello and the food drop-off; others can leave a more lasting impression.

Linda Twitchell, who retired as the administrative officer in the engineering department last year, remembers one time when she arrived at one of the usual stops and found a woman who was having difficulty breathing.

Twitchell, who was the MOW route coordinator for 14 years until she retired, said the woman was on the emergency line with a dispatcher, but she couldn’t talk to him because her oxygen tank was not working.

“She was really in trouble,” Twitchell said. “I stayed with her until the EMTs arrived and they could determine what was happening to her.”

Sundberg and Twitchell said they would recommend MOW to students of any major.

“It is a valuable learning experience and a worthwhile service for the clients on the route,” Sundberg said. “The food they receive is important, but even more important for some is the social interaction.”

Interested students can contact Holt at [email protected].

Lennie Mahler

Bioengineering students Scott Sundberg and Zach Warnock deliver a meal to 90-year-old Claire Hoffer during the Meals On Wheels route in the Avenues on Friday.

Lennie Mahler