Meals and Volunteers Show Up When They’re Needed Most

When Kay Mitzner of Burnsville was in high school and college, she worked part time at a nursing home. Part of her job was helping prepare Meals on Wheels. She didn’t expect that she would be paying it forward, at least not this early in her life.

Near the end of 2021, Kay was navigating a series of major health issues and was heading into a second hip replacement surgery. Living alone, she didn’t know how she would be able to grocery shop, much less prepare meals.

“My funds were very limited, and I had a strict budget,” Kay says.

As her surgery drew near, she was unsure how she would manage. Her pastor at Bloomington Living Hope Lutheran Church then connected her with a member of the Savage Women’s Auxiliary, as they were looking to help a local veteran with whatever they needed for a year.

She told them help with meals was an immediate concern. They connected her with Meals on Wheels of Northwest Dakota County, which brought her instant relief, and helped with the cost of the meals.

Now 51, Kay hadn’t considered Meals on Wheels as an option for her. But the meals and volunteer visits that she continues to receive have provided a lifeline since she hasn’t been able to work and faces mobility challenges due to chronic health problems.

“I’m incredibly grateful,” Kay says.

Called to Serve

When Kay was 28, she felt compelled to join the Air National Guard shortly after 9/11. She had always been fascinated by aviation, having worked an administrative job for a team that performed at air shows immediately out of college. She then joined Northwest Airlines (now Delta) supervising international flights, daily operations and a team of interpreters.

“I had kind of always wanted to serve,” she said. “I thought if you’re going to do this, they’re taking people now.”

After not getting a response from recruiters, Kay says she drove to the gate of the 133rd Minnesota Air National Guard in St. Paul and asked to talk to someone about enlisting. Her persistence led to her joining a squadron, which eventually got deployed to Iraq.

Later, her squadron was called into service in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, where she helped offload supplies from military aircraft for the New Orleans area. She enjoyed her time in the Air National Guard and loved returning to her civilian job at the airport between assignments, but in 2006, her health began to decline.

“I came back and just started having a lot of health problems,” she says.

While serving in Iraq, she was exposed to burn pits that released toxic chemicals. The resulting health complications forced her to leave her job with the airline and limited her to part-time work.

Unfortunately, her health problems have gotten worse. “I woke up one day in December 2018 and I couldn’t get out of bed,” she says. She eventually received a diagnosis for Lyme Disease and exposure to bartonella, a bacteria that can cause health complications for immunocompromised individuals.

The lasting effects of her illnesses, combined with chronic joint pain, have made working impossible. Even everyday tasks are a challenge. “Meal prep, with not having energy or the ability to stand, can be very difficult,” Kay says.

A Social Lifeline

“It has been really isolating,” says Kay of her experience dealing with health challenges that at times have left her confined to her apartment. “I kid you not, many days, the drivers were the only people who I saw. You get to know people and be a part of their lives. That has been almost as important as the meals themselves.”

She recently moved to a different apartment building in Burnsville and worried that she wouldn’t be able to continue getting meals. Anne Capitani, who manages her local Meals on Wheels program, reassured her that she could still receive meals at her new address.

Kay was also concerned that many of the relationships she had cultivated with the folks delivering her meals might go away because she had new drivers on her route. She didn’t know that Anne and her regular volunteers were coordinating behind the scenes to keep Kay on their routes. On the first Friday she received a delivery at her new apartment, there were Steve and Brenda Trace, the same couple who always brought her meals on Fridays.

“I just started crying,” recalls Kay. “I was so happy that Anne did that. I didn’t want to ask, and she did it anyway.”

The Traces agree the relationships they’ve developed over the past five years are special. Steve is a semi-retired school bus driver and says the social interaction they get from delivering meals is good for them, too. Brenda suffers from dementia, and Steve says it’s a great way for them to get out of the house together and enjoy the company of meal recipients.

“I really enjoy it and I think my wife does, too,” he says.

Now in a better place financially as she’s been able to access veterans disability benefits, Kay is able to cover the cost of her meals. She remains hopeful that she’ll regain more mobility, but she’s relieved that Meals on Wheels is there for as long as she needs it.

If you or a loved one are in need of help with meals, learn more about receiving Meals on Wheels. You can help bring meals to people like Kay by donating or volunteering.