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Ground Level Blog
Jennifer Vogel

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Dale Judes (MPR photos/Jennifer Vogel)

After two weeks of reporting in Todd County, I'm struck by how many people volunteer their time in order to provide services for others. Recently, before indulging in a lunch of turkey and mashed potatoes at the senior center in Eagle Bend, I met some of the two dozen people who volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program, which serves the elderly, disabled and needy.

They cook and deliver hot food to more than 30 nearby clients and drive stacks of home-made frozen dinners to 29 more living in far flung parts of the county. "This keeps them in their homes," said Gladys Judes, who was manning the senior center front desk. "We check up on people."

Last Thursday, I rode along with Gladys' husband, Dale, as he delivered coolers full of frozen bundled meals - each client typically receives 14 dinners, a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk and desserts. Drivers are paid for their mileage, but not their time.

Dale Judes, a very fit 63-year-old who favors cowboy boots, said the delivery program - which is privately financed via the efforts of Todd County's coordinator of aging, Verna Toenyan - keeps people out of nursing homes. "People do better in their own environments," said Judes, who used to own a farm. "They want to be independent." Nursing homes, he said, can seem like "holding pens for the mortician."

Over several hours, Judes drove meals to eight clients, all the while punching numbers into his GPS. A few agreed to speak with me.

Dale Stevens, a 66-year-old retired auctioneer, says Social Security doesn't go very far and he's broke at the end of each month. "I haven't eaten out in three years," he said. Recently, he was hospitalized for dehydration and drove himself to the emergency room. Asked whether anyone besides Dale checks in on him, he said, "The county person comes every two months to make sure I'm eating and haven't fell over dead."

The last stop was Loretta Peterson's farm. The 83-year-old lives alone in a house that's bursting with photos of kids and grandkids. She entertains herself by listening to a police scanner, which went off several times during our visit. She says she doesn't get lonely. "I'd never want another man," she said. "I like men, but I wouldn't want to live with one. I'm too ornery. I want everything my way. If I got one my age, he would be the same way. And we'd fight all the time."

"I would like to stay here," Peterson said of the farm where she's lived for fifty years. "As long as Dale keeps bringing food."