When Ed Gyurina delivers Meals on Wheels to the people on his route, he brings more than food. He brings a smile, a cheerful hello and a sure sign that somebody cares.
Meals on Wheels enables elderly, sick and disabled people to remain in their own homes. Sponsored by Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services, Inc. (KAFASI) the program is designed for those who are unable to prepare their own meals and otherwise might have to go into a nursing home.
"It feels good to be able to help," says Gyurina, who has a regular weekly route and also fills in on other routes when KAFASI is short-handed.
About half of the people on his route are past 90 years, he said. "It makes me wonder if there will be somebody doing this job when I get to be that age and need a hot meal."
Recipients of the noon delivery are always happy to see the Meals on Wheels volunteer, Gyurina said. "In many homes, you just know you are the only person they will see all day."
Gyurina and his fellow volunteers pick up the meals, which are cooked in various nursing homes and hospital kitchens in the city and county, and deliver them to the assigned addresses. Meals are packaged in containers to keep them hot. Some meal recipients also choose to have a cold meal delivered at noon to be kept for later in the day.
Besides delivering meals, the 73-year-old Gyurina sits on the Meals on Wheels Advisory Council. The group deals with issues that arise concerning the program, or complaints about delivery times or food packaging.
He can also be counted on to lend a hand with other KAFASI ventures, including the popular “Bowls & Books” and “Bowls & Bakers”, two annual fund-raising events that grow more popular every year. Both feature soups from local restaurants.
From August 16th to 20th, Gyurina can be found in the KAFASI Bingo tent at the Kenosha County Fair. He sells tickets, sets up tables and helps keep the place clean.
Besides the volunteer hours he puts in for KAFASI, Gyurina spends one night a month dishing up food at the Shalom Center soup kitchen. He is a part of a serving group that originally was formed by the now defunct St. Cazimir's Church.
"They closed the church, but the Shalom volunteers didn't want to give up," he said.
A native Kenoshan, Gyurina was born here in 1932, he attended Bain Elementary School, Washington Junior High and Kenosha High School, before the name was changed to Mary D. Bradford.
Gyurina and his wife, Marion, whom he married in 1951, have nine children, Mark, Gregg, Glen, Patricia, Mary, Mike, Carol, Sharon and Debra. They also have 25 grandchildren.
For 35 years, he worked for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad Company out of Chicago. Every morning he would board the train in Kenosha for the ride into Chicago, where he was assigned to handle railroad rates, routes and charges for cargo shipping. He retired in 1989, but says he still likes railroads.
One of his favorite retirement pastimes is spending time with his family, but Gyurina also likes to garden, read newspapers and watch the Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers.
Dana Tehako-Esser, KAFASI Volunteer Services Coordinator, said the high price of gasoline has made the recruitment of volunteers like Ed Gyurina much more difficult.
Routes are arranged so volunteer drivers can usually deliver in their own neighborhoods. Kitchens where the meals are cooked are located throughout the city and county to cut down on the driving distances.
Volunteers like Ed are needed. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please call Dana Tehako-Esser at 262-658-3508 ext. 120.
