DETROIT (WXYZ) — One of the most enjoyable parts about Christmas is to have a hot meal with family and friends, but for those who don’t have the means to get a meal, a few hundred Detroiters came together to make a difference.
Early Sunday morning, the Detroit Area Agency on Aging kicked off its annual Holiday Meals on Wheels program, with hundreds of volunteers packing and distributing meals to seniors across metro Detroit.
"The Holiday Meals on Wheels program does not only provide them with a hot meal, it also gives them face-to-face interaction, so they don’t feel so alone on holiday," said Anquenecta Jones with the Detroit Area Agency on Aging.
Anquenecta Jones has been working with the organization for eight years. This proud mom of two loves spending her Christmas morning giving back to the community with her boys, including her 14-year-old Aaron Smiles.
When asked what his friends think of his Christmas morning routine, Aaron said, "they sure are surprised cause they expect me to be home playing games, but my friends understand that I want to help people, and I like helping people."
Aaron started volunteering six years ago, and even though he aspires to be an engineer, he says his love for his mom and helping people will never take a back seat.
"Our family tradition says we are here working while we open up one gift on Christmas eve, so while we were opening up our one gift, I reminded him that he was coming and that my older son was going to deliver," Jones said.
At 5:30 a.m. Sunday, around 300 volunteers started packing over 5500 meal boxes.
Each contains carrots, mashed potatoes, roast beef, and gravy.
By 9:00 a.m., the boxes are loaded onto trucks and delivered to various senior living centers.
"We currently serve meals on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Labor Day, and we serve at least 5000 meals to homebound seniors each holiday," said Jones.
7 Action News reporter Faraz Javed accompanied one of the delivery trucks to La Belle Towers in Highland Park.
Volunteers unpacked and got ready to serve seniors, all while keeping the spirit of Christmas alive.
A total of 160 residents at La Belle Towers received a hot Christmas dinner.
Folks interested in volunteering or contributing to the Meals on Wheels initiative can head over to detroitseniorsolution.org
