Helping the Helper: A Meals on Wheels Story Comes Full Circle

Years before receiving Meals on Wheels herself, Nancy Brenny volunteered alongside her husband Bob, delivering meals in Richfield, Edina, and southwest Minneapolis. They enjoyed having something they could do together during the workweek and took pride in helping their neighbors.

“I was looking for something I could do over lunch. It was easy to do,” says Bob, who started delivering 20 years ago and still fills in as a substitute driver. “It’s nice meeting people and making sure they’re okay.”

Nancy, who retired in 2011, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease about six years ago. “Parkinson’s does some weird things to you, and I don’t have the strength to be on my feet to fix a good, healthy meal. I used to do all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and shopping. Now Bob has to do that,” Nancy says. “And he still works part time, so he’s got a heavy load.”

The Brennys turned to Meals on Wheels to make daily life more manageable. They’re able to pay for their meals, which frees up resources to serve those who are unable to pay.

Nancy gets deliveries from Crosstown Meals on Wheels, her neighborhood program, on the days Bob works part time as an accountant at Magers & Quinn Booksellers. The volunteers know they can knock twice, let themselves in, and bring the meals to her so she doesn’t have to get up and risk a fall.

“It’s pretty vital to have something like this,” says Bob. “It’s just somebody to look in to make sure she’s okay.”

Since she’s unable to leave the house on her own, Nancy says there’s more to the deliveries than just the food. “I like the social part,” she says. “You just get to see another face. You’re not sitting alone by yourself all day.”

Both Bob and Nancy are grateful for Meals on Wheels, as well as for the caregiver who visits Nancy to help with therapeutic activities. Without them, Bob wouldn’t be able to keep working in a job he enjoys and provides financial security for the couple.

This support allows them to remain in the home they’ve shared for nearly 50 years. With only one daughter living in Texas, the Brennys don’t have other family members nearby to help with caregiving duties.

Changing Careers to Care for Others

Nancy began her working life as a librarian for the Pillsbury Company for about 15 years — yes, she also enjoyed baking. She then felt called to a path that would allow her to directly help others and obtained her master’s degree through Luther Seminary’s program on aging.

With that training, she became a recreational therapist at Mount Olivet Careview Home. Many of the people she worked with were living with memory loss and dementia. It also gave her the chance to work with and care for her father, who became a resident of the home.

“It was a blessing to see him every day for nine years,” Nancy recalls fondly.

Her training allowed her to work with the chaplain at the home and become an associate minister at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Minneapolis, where she sometimes gave sermons. During that time, she knit 67 prayer shawls for others — she decided to knit her final shawl for herself and always keeps it nearby.

These days, Nancy is grateful for the people in her life who care for her.

“I appreciate and thank everybody who is involved with Meals on Wheels,” she says. “Thank you all for your efforts to keep us well fed.”

Looking for a way to help neighbors like the Brennys? Sign up to volunteer or make a donation. If Meals on Wheels can help you or a family member, learn more about receiving meals.