DFW News App

HARLINGEN — Isabel Rivera knocks on the same 30 doors every day, from Monday through Friday.

In that time, Mary Brooks opens her door to receive a portion-controlled balanced meal: high fiber, low salt, low fat and low sugar.

This Thanksgiving, Amigos Del Valle Inc., a nonprofit that serves clients from McAllen to Harlingen to Brownsville and in between will open their lunches sealed by H-E-B Feast of Sharing stickers.

Inside, they will find smoked turkey, gravy, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, and a gingerbread man for dessert.

Before applying to the senior lunch program, Brooks, 75, would eat a bowl of cereal midday. After two weeks of receiving meals from the nonprofit, she says she gets a lot more protein from her new diet.

The meals, planned a month in advance and checked by a dietitian, are usually prepared the same morning as delivery.

The nonprofit’s kitchen staff start cooking at 3 a.m. to prepare more than 2,000 meals a day for Brooks and those who benefit from the program. Fifty-two delivery drivers, like Rivera, 66, then head out in their cars with the day’s main entrée, a bag of fruit and a cooler filled with milk or juice cartons.

Amigos Del Valle, affiliated with Meals on Wheels, pays for their holiday meals through a sponsorship from H-E-B. The grocery company provides free meals across Texas and parts of Mexico through its Feast of Sharing campaign.

This Thanksgiving’s meals cost roughly $3.50 per plate to make, according to Kelly Glymph, who runs the kitchen.

On a normal day, Glymph, 45, orders products in bulk from food distributors like Ben E. Keith. She aims to have Amigos Del Valle spend under $2 per plate. With raw materials and labor and delivery costs included, a plate must be $6.46 or under for the organization to break even, according to Executive Director Alex Guerra.

Amigos Del Valle provides food through its Meals on Wheels delivery services or at nutrition centers across Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy and Starr counties for eligible recipients, those over 60 or adults with disabilities ages 18 to 59.

At nutrition centers, staff try to set up their own celebrations for their special Thanksgiving meal.

Last week, about 40 residents at Casa de Amigos 3 in Harlingen went to Golden Corral to celebrate an early Thanksgiving, paid for by the year’s fundraising events, which can be donated via www.advrgv.org.

These include their dance benefits and King and Queen contest. The community loves dancing to cumbias norteñas and huapangos.

They do regular lotería nights as well.

“El corazón,” shouts el cantor. “El catrín.”

When they play bingo, the center is quiet, but staff walk around distributing plates of food.

“Es que ya estoy viejita,” says San Juana Chapa, 91, adding that older people will take every opportunity to celebrate anything.

Chapa lives at one of the Amigos Del Valle affordable housing units and has been a client of Amigos Del Valle since 2009. She used to be one of the volunteers who helped serve food at the center.

Meals and labor at centers typically cost $5.63 per plate, with volunteers helping serve meals for other members of their community, says Guerra, the executive director.

Chapa asks Center Manager Laura Hernandez what they will do for Thanksgiving.

Hernandez says they will have a second party at the start of the week when they dig into their free meal. Staff is off for Thanksgiving.

Chapa asks Hernandez if she will get any presents for Christmas.

“Vamos a tener regalitos,” responds Hernandez. She and other center staff plan to bring goody bags. Hernandez usually adds an orange, sometimes hot cocoa powder or a lollipop. These goodies cannot have too much sugar nor be a choke risk.

The staff sometimes like to bring small gifts out of pocket, explains Hernandez.

Delivery drivers arrive at Casa de Amigos 3, to drop off 3,300 non-perishables in boxes that will be distributed to clients in all counties a week before Christmas while the kitchen is closed in December for the holidays.

Clients depend on the planned operation between nutrition center staff, delivery drivers, kitchen staff, and volunteers.

“We’re also being the eyes, not just a meal,” says Glymph, head of the kitchen.

The home delivery drivers see them nearly every day and reach out to the nutrition director if something seems different, she notes.

“We also help people by giving them a smile everyday and being there consistently when they need us,” says Glymph.

The post Amigos Del Valle dishing out turkey meals for Thanksgiving appeared first on MyRGV.com.