by Hayley Nations
There are so many people in the Roosevelt area with kind and caring hearts, who dedicate time and money to helping those in need. One such person is Cora Stroud, who is retiring from being the president of Meals on Wheels.
Meals on Wheels is a charity organization that takes food to people who are unable to consistently get their own food due to various factors, including mobility issues. Meals on Wheels sends drivers on routes to deliver the food.
Cora Stroud volunteered for Meals on Wheels for many years, originally joining the board when the organization first started up in Portales in the 1980’s. “It was about 1987. But I was young and I didn’t know what I was doing…they were just getting organized and finding clients.” But in 2015 she was asked to be on the board again. She agreed and served as the driver coordinator. She was responsible for sending out the calendars to the volunteers in order to organize the drivers. Volunteers included individuals and local organizations. “Our drivers are the only way we could exist,” she says, “without them, we just could not operate.”
Her tenacious personality kept the gears turning well. “It was an experience that really kept me on my toes. I’m a squeaky wheel, and the squeaky wheel gets the grease. And if, at the end of the month, they haven’t gotten their calendars back to me, I kinda squeak.”
After a few years as driver coordinator, she was elected to be the president and served a three year term. “I learned to grow from those experiences I’ve had. Grown to love people that we serve, the Portales community. And the people on the board, you also grow to love and appreciate.”
Why did she originally join? Well, a member of her church was asked to join, but couldn’t. “So she turned to me and she said will you? And I’m simply one of those people who can’t say no.” She has been a part of various volunteer organizations since she was young. “Since my childhood, there have been organizations that have helped me.” The most rewarding part was seeing the people receiving the meals, and how appreciative they were.
Now that she’s retired, she’s still going to be active in the community. She is a family history consultant and will be helping with a “Family History Night” at her church, which will help locals write down their family histories for their children and grandchildren to read. She said it will be open to all people in the community who are interested in writing down their family history.
She wants everyone to know that “There are good people in this world and if you go about things in an orderly manner, you will be successful. There are a lot of good people in our community that serve in different areas, and we learn to appreciate and thank those people, and it just makes us all become better people.” She would also like to thank the board for their hard work and dedication in making sure people are organized and receive their meals.
If you are interested in volunteering for Meals on Wheels, please call (575) 760-9680.
