For 95-year-old Milton Williams, Meals on Wheels is an old friend that never fails to call.
The native Oaklander has been receiving Meals on Wheels for about a decade and counts on it for companionship as much as nutritious meals.
“As you get older, you don’t have as many friends, and you get lonely. I look forward to (Meals on Wheels) coming, just like a visitor. They are very compassionate people, and you get to know them,” Williams said.
Williams is one of about 1,200 homebound individuals in Oakland, Castro Valley, San Leandro and San Lorenzo receiving meals from the local nonprofit, Service Opportunities for Seniors (SOS) Meals on Wheels, like clockwork Monday through Friday. About another 40 are on a waiting list as SOS Meals on Wheels tries to raise more money to serve more people in the community, said the group’s executive director, Connie McCabe. Volunteers are also needed.