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Recent Television News Spots

Pete Micklish (right) and his son, Curtis, carried a new countertop into Oliver Mayfield's Vista home last week. The Micklishes' drive to renovate Mayfield's home began two months ago, after being contacted by Meals-on-Wheels. (John Gibbins / Union-Tribune) -

VISTA — Each time a Meals-on-Wheels volunteer enters a senior's home, the person's mission is twofold: to deliver nutritious food and make sure the client is safe and secure.

After just a few visits, volunteer Bernadette Frawley knew Oliver Mayfield was neither safe nor secure. Newspapers, family photos, clothing and personal effects cluttered the floors and hallway of the Vista home he has lived in for 40 years.

Mayfield, 81, who relies on a wheelchair, had to use a walker to reach the bathroom, then a cane to get through its 2-foot-wide door. Accessing the bedroom had become so treacherous that he was sleeping in the living room.

Pete Micklish observed rewiring done by electrician Ed Budrovic. Renovations included a new roof and electrical heating and cooling system and making a bathroom wheelchair-accessible.

Although Mayfield's 70-year-old brother would often come from San Bernardino to check on him, a recent car accident left him incapacitated and unable to make the trip alone. “It was definitely subpar living conditions,” Frawley said. “He needed some help.”

Last Saturday, a group of volunteer contractors, including a plumber and electrician, arrived at Mayfield's 1,000-square-foot home to continue renovations that began two months ago. The work started after Debbie Case, Meals-on-Wheels Greater San Diego's executive director, and Charlotte Fan, the agency's San Marcos service center director, visited the home.

Building contractor Pete Micklish (left) talked with retiree Oliver Mayfield during a badly needed renovation that Micklish sponsored with other volunteer service providers. (John Gibbins / Union-Tribune)

“The roof was like a sieve,” Case said. “It was leaking and there was water damage, plaster peeling from the walls.”

Mayfield was afraid to use natural gas, so he turned it off. He powered his appliances with an elaborate and precarious system of extension cords plugged into overloaded outlets.

“There were wires running everywhere,” Case said. “It was absolutely an unsafe environment.”

Case and Fan sought the help of several nonprofit service organizations, each ultimately deeming the work beyond its scope or mission.

They eventually found help in Pete Micklish and his son, Curtis Micklish, of La Mesa-based Tegrus Builders.

“We started out with what we thought was going to be a shower repair and then we realized there was a life-safety issue, literally,” Pete Micklish said last Saturday, over the din of a drill boring into a two-by-four. With the expertise of an architect friend, Micklish decided to expand the bathroom and its entrance to make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The entire roof was replaced, the property rewired, and rotting support beams in the carport replaced.

The father and son helped line up most of the contractors who volunteered their time.

To assuage Mayfield's fear of natural gas, Pete Micklish is installing an electrical heating and cooling system.

“He had no heat,” Micklish said.

Before the work began, volunteers from Vista-based St. Frances Catholic Church, North Coast Community Church and Calvary Chapel helped move some of Mayfield's possessions to a storage shed in the driveway. Workers have managed to still make Mayfield's house livable during construction.

Last year, Mayfield lost thousands of dollars to a stranger who agreed to enlarge his bathroom, only to vanish with the money while leaving holes in the bathroom wall.

Sitting in his wheelchair last week, Mayfield, a retired aerospace engineer, beamed as volunteers worked.

Meals-on-Wheels is seeking volunteer drivers as well as monetary donations to help with reimbursement of construction costs on Mayfield's home. To volunteer, donate or recommend a senior for meal deliveries, call Meals-on-Wheels' North County service center at (760) 736-9900 or go to meals-on-wheels.org .

Union-Tribune Pat Sherman: (760) 737-7556;

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/oct/24/meals-wheels-delivers-more-food/?northcounty&zIndex=188363

Vista: Volunteers help disabled senior stay in home

RUTH MARVIN WEBSTER - For the North County Times | Posted: Saturday, October 17, 2009 10:55 pm |

Vista resident Oliver Mayfield watches renovation activities at his Vista home Saturday, as some women from Meals on Wheels chat outside his front door. (Photo by Bill Wechter - Staff photographer)

Going well beyond its mission to deliver daily meals, Meals On Wheels has teamed with other volunteers to renovate a Vista resident's home that had fallen into serious disrepair.

Oliver Mayfield, a retired aerospace engineering technician, has lived in the Sierra Estates neighborhood of Vista for more than 40 years. But after a stroke left him partially paralyzed three years ago, his home became dilapidated and even dangerous.

Vista resident Oliver Mayfield watches renovation activities at his Vista home Saturday, as some women from Meals on Wheels chat outside his front door. (Photo by Bill Wechter - Staff photographer)

Unable to navigate his chair through most of the home's interior doorways or reach household appliances, Mayfield was confined to one room in his 800-square-foot home when a Meals On Wheels volunteer brought his plight to the attention of others.

"Volunteers started delivering meals to Mr. Mayfield after his stroke," said Debbie Case, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels for Greater San Diego.

"They are often the eyes and ears for seniors," she said Saturday, adding that its volunteers are sometimes the only person a senior sees on a regular basis.

Soon, Case and North County Meals on Wheels manager Charlotte Fan were calling around to other charities to see what could be done to help Mayfield.

"We started talking to all of these organizations and it seemed whoever we talked to, Mr. Mayfield's situation fell through the cracks," Case said.

This project is the first time their organization has taken on such a large undertaking, she said.

"It was frustrating until Curtis (Micklish) turned to his dad and said that they had to do this."

Pete Micklish and his son Curtis own and operate the San Diego-based construction company Tegrus Builders. They put in the lion's share of time, money and materials to renovate Mayfield's home.

"It started with a small bathroom remodel, and it has grown from there," Pete Micklish said Saturday.

Volunteers have already replaced the leaking gravel roof, rewired the entire home, replaced ceilings and plaster work, and even moved an interior wall. They also plan to install heating and air-conditioning systems and make the entire home wheelchair accessible.

Micklish said the budget for the project now hovers around $45,000.

A number of companies, including San Diego Roofing, Spooner's Workworks, Emcor Mechanical, CJ's Interiors and Westmont Senior Living, have also donated considerable time, money and equipment, he said.

"I see this as truly a community project," Fan said. She has enlisted volunteers from Coast Community Church, St. Francis Church and a local Eagle Scout troop too.

"This is really fantastic and I am very thankful," Mayfield said, a broad smile lighting up his face Saturday as volunteers worked around him. "My home is the most important place in the world to me. There is no place like home."


Shelby commented online : October 18, 2009, 3:03 pm about this story in the North County Times, "I love it when behind the scene stories like this come to the forefront; it re-affirms the fragile faith in the goodness of mankind. All too often the headlines are dominated with hate, negativity, divisiveness, etc. Very heartwarming and refreshing; makes my day!"

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_81783720-6e3f-567c-8a53-623afd801dd0.html?mode=story


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San Diego Family Magazine

More than Meals:
Volunteers bring caring and friendship
October 28, 2009
http://www.sandiegofamily.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=98%3Adonationsvolunteers-wanted&id=328%3Amore-than-meals&Itemid=128

For parents wanting to involve children of all ages in community service, look to Meals-on-Wheels. This organization’s mission is “to support the independence and well-being of seniors” through their meal-delivery program.

While good nutrition for the elderly is one aspect of this program, the volunteers who deliver meals give nourishment of a different kind. A Meals-on-Wheels volunteer often is the only person a senior encounters all day.

“When children participate, they make a huge difference in the lives of seniors,” says Debbie Case, executive director, Meals-on-Wheels of Greater San Diego. “Kids make them perk up, smile, laugh and tell stories.”

Kids who participate in meal deliveries benefit from the experience, too. They gain new respect for the elderly and learn the importance of helping others. 

Get Involved!
At a minimum, Meals-on-Wheels requires 135 meal delivery volunteers daily. Volunteers choose one or more days Monday through Saturday to deliver meals using their own automobile. Children are welcome to volunteer as long as they are accompanied by an adult 18 years or older. www.meals-on-wheels.org/volunteer

Adopt a Route
Groups of eight or more individuals from a company or organization can adopt a route. By sharing the weekly responsibility for the route with others, individuals typically deliver meals once a month. www.meals-on-wheels.org/aboutus/partners.php

We Care Packages
If you don’t have time to deliver meals on a regular basis, make “We Care Packages” at home with your family. Seniors are given care packages filled with personal items for birthdays and holidays. Your children will enjoy choosing gifts and creating a cheerful note to tuck inside. www.meals-on-wheels.org/We Care Package Guidelines-2007.pdf

Speakers’ Bureau Volunteer
Help get the word out. If your talent is public speaking, consider making presentations to community groups to garner support for Meals-on-Wheels. Speakers will receive training, materials and resources. www.meals-on-wheels.org/volunteer

Donate
The need in the community is great, and meals are subsidized by the Meals-on-Wheels organization. Help seniors stay independent, and donate today. www.meals-on-wheels.org/donate

Volunteers Spotlight on the Keshav Family

The Keshav Family began volunteering for Meals-on-Wheels in 2001, when daughters Meera and Suhani were 6 and 4. They delivered meals in South Carlsbad and Encinitas, and now have a route in the Solana Beach area. Read on to discover why the program is a win-win for the Keshavs and the senior citizens they meet.

Why did you want to volunteer together as a family?

Dr. Rohit Keshav, father
I wanted my daughters to participate in community service at a young age so they would continue volunteering as they grew older. Resh and I like to take the girls when delivering because the elderly like talking to them and showing them photos. The seniors get a breath of fresh air.
It’s also one of those rare times when we can do something for complete strangers without expecting anything at all in return.

Describe a significant moment during your volunteer experience.
Resh, mother
Most of the people we serve live in low-income communities. A big shock to my girls was delivering meals to a house around the corner from our own. The man was connected to an oxygen tank and his wife was in a wheelchair. My daughters learned that neediness and loneliness happen everywhere.

Why do you like volunteering for Meals-on-Wheels?
Suhani, 11
I like meeting all the people we serve and making them happy. Mr. Ennis makes me laugh with his jokes and Donald Duck voice. He also shows us pictures and tells us stories about playing soccer. Serving Meals-on-Wheels makes me feel like a different person from home or school.

Meera, 13
One woman on our route, Miss Dorothy, is always working on a new, complicated puzzle. I really admire that. Even when she isn’t feeling well, she greets us and asks what we’ve been doing. We care about her, but she cares about us, too.

By the Numbers in San Diego County

• One meal preparation center cooks meals for seven vans to deliver meals to 19 drop zones where 135 volunteers deliver meals on 95 routes to 1,000 senior citizens everyday.

• 1,728 people are active volunteers.

• Six seniors over the age of 100 live independently.

• Five volunteers over the age of 90 deliver meals to the needy.


Ronni Rowland is a freelance writer and the mother of two.

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September 11, 2009 FOX5 - Cirque de Cuisine Gala

September 6, 2009 6CW - Cirque de Cuisine Gala

August 27, 2009 - KCBQ RADIO Rick Amato Show hosted by Gayle Falkenthal

March 18, 2009 - KUSI Mayors for Meals Campaign

March 16, 2009 - FOX5 - Mayors for Meals at the Meal Center

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March 21, 2008 KUSI spot one.

March 21, 2008 KUSI spot two.

March 12, 2008 NBC video.

March 8, 2008 Fox 6 video.
To access Fox spot go to Category and search for the keyword "meals"

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Press Release Archive

Dine with the Chefs to Support Senior Independence and Well Being
September 2007

Meals on Wheels Greater San Diego, Inc. and George L. Stevens Senior Center Awarded Grant to Support Seniors in District 4
June 2007

San Diego Mayor Launches Local "Mayors for Meals" Campaign.
March 2007

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Stats 2009

These statistics represent a snapshot of the clients served by Meals-on-Wheels.

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Media Relations Contact
Margaret Virissimo
Development Manager
Meals-on-Wheels Greater San Diego, Inc.
P (619) 260-6110 Ext. 4041
F (619) 260-6373
e-mail