Dinners with Love volunteer Regina Styles signs off every email with some wise words from Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali poet:
"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy."
It is no surprise, then, that Regina cheerfully stepped in in Spring 2015 to coordinate meal ordering and delivery in Addison County, even while nursing a broken bone.
Here is Regina’s story, in her own words:
"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy."
It is no surprise, then, that Regina cheerfully stepped in in Spring 2015 to coordinate meal ordering and delivery in Addison County, even while nursing a broken bone.
Here is Regina’s story, in her own words:
| I live in Whiting, Vermont with my husband Ron, our dog, two cats, two goats, and a bunch of chickens and roosters. When I'm not the “Keeper of the Flock,” I'm working for Addison County Home Health and Hospice. One of my patients would get Dinners with Love delivered every week, so for two years I've appreciated the program and all it does for our people. Another volunteer was preparing to head off on an extended vacation, so I filled in as coordinator. As fate would have it, I fell and broke my tibial plateau that week: let's just say it involved a ladder and chickens on their roof, and the chickens won! So my learning curve came alongside my recovery. And both are coming along! There are several things I love about my journey here: our volunteers, their kind and giving hearts. It's how they reach out, all they give every week, no thanks required. And of course our patients are indeed special to me, from our 93-year-old who has family ties to a large chicken farm: no chicken for her, thank you very much, and nothing too spicy because it keeps her up at night! |  "I am so grateful for the extraordinary restaurants that donate their time, money, and love to our effort. We're all part of this incredible team, each of us in different roles, while sharing the same vision. I am truly so thankful that I can help carry that through." |
And then there's the young single mom whose 12-year-old daughter ordered an Ahi Tuna Burger with blue cheese. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but we knew she'd end up scraping the cheese off. It's been an ongoing joke ever since.
I'm at the point now where I know everybody's individual tastes and limitations, so I can choose dinners for them when I need to. Without exception, all meals are received with huge appreciation.
And I'd certainly be remiss if I didn't mention the most important piece in what we do. The restaurants! The chefs that cook a meal early for us; give me their cell number to be sure they get the order; or add something extra to the dinner. And then they thank me!
I am so grateful for the extraordinary restaurants that donate their time, money, and love to our effort. We're all part of this incredible team, each of us in different roles, while sharing the same vision. I am truly so thankful that I can help carry that through.
I'm at the point now where I know everybody's individual tastes and limitations, so I can choose dinners for them when I need to. Without exception, all meals are received with huge appreciation.
And I'd certainly be remiss if I didn't mention the most important piece in what we do. The restaurants! The chefs that cook a meal early for us; give me their cell number to be sure they get the order; or add something extra to the dinner. And then they thank me!
I am so grateful for the extraordinary restaurants that donate their time, money, and love to our effort. We're all part of this incredible team, each of us in different roles, while sharing the same vision. I am truly so thankful that I can help carry that through.
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