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<\/a>ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014<\/p>\nIn Orange County, where over 37,000 seniors struggle with hunger, a local professor is making a difference by volunteering with the Seniors First Meals on Wheels program. <\/p>\n
Teddy Duncan, a full-time professor at Valencia College and a Ph.D. student at the University of Central Florida, dedicates time each week to delivering meals and companionship to seniors, many of whom consider him a blessing. <\/p>\n
“Ay eso es un amor \u2026 yo le digo, my baby! You call him your baby? My baby!” one senior said, laughing. “Always when he comes, it\u2019s good morning, how are you today, the laugh, always the expression \u2026 the big smile? Yes!”<\/p>\n
According to Seniors First, volunteers are often the only person a client will see or speak to on a given day. <\/p>\n
“He spends a little time with me, keeps me company; he\u2019s a nice guy,” another senior said. <\/p>\n
The visits also provide essential safety checks for the seniors. Teddy explained that volunteering doesn\u2019t require much time. <\/p>\n
“The route takes an hour; the whole thing takes an hour and a half,” he said. “You kinda think you don\u2019t have time, but take a look at your screen time. You spend two hours on your phone, you can spend an hour and a half volunteering.”<\/p>\n
Seniors First considers Teddy a great ambassador for their cause. At 29, he is much younger than most of the program\u2019s volunteers, who are primarily retirees. Despite his busy schedule, he makes time to give back and encourages others to do the same. <\/p>\n
“What you\u2019re doing feels very consequential because you\u2019re having an encounter with someone,” Teddy said. “You know you\u2019re making a contribution to their life because they\u2019re waiting for you to have breakfast. It\u2019s like the platitude about teaching, which is true, that you learn more than you teach your students \u2026 that same thing applies to Meals on Wheels. You get more than what you\u2019re giving.”<\/p>\n
Seniors First delivers up to 1,100 meals daily in Orange County, relying on about 350 volunteers to make it happen.<\/p>\n