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Kenneth Pierre left his apartment door slightly ajar on the morning of Aug. 30 so when his usual visitor stopped by, he’d be ready to greet them.
Peninsula Volunteers Director of Nutrition Services Stephanie Figeira knocked on the door, called out to Pierre grinning and stepped inside with a bag of meals in-hand.
Pierre says he looks forward to the visit every week.
Peninsula Volunteers, a Menlo Park-based nonprofit that aims to empower older individuals, expanded its Meals on Wheels service from San Mateo County into Palo Alto and Santa Clara County in July, thanks to a private donor.
Most of the nonprofit’s San Mateo County meal funding comes from federal grants, but this spring, the donor paid to fund a new Santa Clara County route, which Peninsula Volunteers delivers on Tuesdays and Fridays.
“We’re being received very well by the community,” Figeira said. “I think one of our biggest selling points is that we make the food here in our kitchen, we pack it here, and then we are a friendly visitor to drop deals off twice a week to seniors in the area.”
Meals on Wheels services in neighboring counties typically order the meals from various distributors, but recipes are developed in-house at Peninsula Volunteers by its chef and other staff, some of whom have worked with the nonprofit for over 30 years, she said.
Pierre’s favorite meal is the Salisbury steak, which he hadn’t had in a long time before receiving the service, he said, standing in his kitchen on Aug. 30.
“It reminded me of when I was a kid,” he said.
His walls were lined with awards like “Veteran of the Year,” and one for helping local police catch a serial rapist. He went through each award with the Weekly, discussing his years of community work in Palo Alto with organizations like the Downtown Streets team, an outreach group for local people who are homeless.
Pierre was one of the first people that signed up for the service in Palo Alto, thanks to a case worker that let him know about the new route.
“It’s true what you do for the community,” he said to Figeira.
Figeira says that the deliveries are about more than just the meals – they’re a chance to check in on people.
Meals on Wheels recipient Heinz Klostermann, left, shows Stephanie Figeira, right, the weight he lifts for his daily exercises during a meal delivery and check-in chat at his Palo Alto apartment on Aug. 30, 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Meals on Wheels recipient Heinz Klostermann, left, shows reporter Lisa Moreno, right, how strong he still is during a meal delivery to his apartment in Palo Alto on Aug. 30, 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Meals on Wheels Director of Nutrition Services Stephanie Figeira, right, chats with recipient Kenneth Pierre, left, during a meal delivery to Pierre’s Palo Alto apartment on Aug. 30, 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Stephanie Figeira, Director of Nutrition Services with Meals on Wheels, drives from house to house on a weekly delivery route through Palo Alto and Mountain View on Aug. 30, 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney.
“Sometimes we’re the only person that somebody sees in a day or even speaks to in a day,” she said.
Delivery drivers carry a list of addresses with them and keep up with the meal recipients’ schedules, so they know what each person will be doing during the drop-off.
Some houses have pets, some people come to the door quickly and others prefer the delivery person come in and unpack the meals.
Figeira scanned through sheets of paper on her Friday delivery as she prepared to approach the next house. The meal recipient planned to leave a house key for her in the mailbox, so Figeira could leave the meals in the freezer while she participated in a class at Avenidas, a community hub for older adults.
When Figeira couldn’t find a key, she called the recipient’s family members to make sure she was okay and to coordinate where to leave the meals.
It’s not part of their usual protocol to leave the delivery on the porch, because face-to-face interaction is a big part of the service, she said.
Heinz Klostermann, who is 94 years old, quickly welcomed Figeira and this reporter into his home during his delivery, offering beverages and a tour of his apartment. Klostermann, who has experience working with cars, showed off his array of engine parts, his work space and his daily exercise routine.
Family photographs and jars of honey lined his table and armoire.
“My father was a beekeeper,” he said. “We used to sell honey 80 years ago.”
While Figeira prepared to head to her next home, Klostermann called her work “amazing.”
As director of Nutrition Services for the nonprofit, she likes to think of food as a multifaceted opportunity for health, exercise, community and spirituality, Figeira said.
“It’s like going to church, or being out in the sun, or touching the soil,” she said. “Food brings connection.”
Currently, Peninsula Volunteers delivers meals to around 12 people on its Santa Clara County route, which is focused in Palo Alto, Los Altos and Mountain View.
Prices per delivery vary as recipients may be eligible for subsidized meals, but people are encouraged to contribute around $5 per meal.
Anyone who is 60 years or older can sign up for Meals on Wheels by calling Peninsula Volunteers at (650)272-5041.
In the future, the nonprofit hopes to expand as much as possible to cities like Cupertino, Figeira said, and at some point, she hopes to gain access to federal Older American Act funding for the Santa Clara County route.
“We would just love to serve more people,” she said.
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