This Is What I Was Made For
“All they can do is say no,” shares Ruth Henricks with a shrug and a smile.
Ruth is the Executive Director of Special Delivery, a non-profit located in Mission Hills in operation for over 25 years providing homemade and nutritious meals to medically homebound people living with AIDS, cancer and other critical illnesses throughout the San Diego community.
This can-do attitude has grown the impact that Ruth and her team have for residents of San Diego, especially in the past ten years in partnership with Feeding San Diego (FSD).
Due to a connection from a persistent volunteer, Special Delivery was present at Feeding San Diego’s first distribution back in the parking lot of the San Diego Rescue Mission in 2007.
“Everybody I met was delightful, the food was new and I have never been sorry
As the partnership evolved over the years, staff at FSD connected Henricks with a pantry in Corpus Christi, Texas, who was running a special pantry for people with diabetes.
Ruth and her husband took a road trip to visit and were inspired to expand Special Delivery’s services to include a weekly class and specialized food for individuals with diabetes. The class began with about ten participants and last week had over 35, growing mostly due to word-of-mouth.
One those individuals, Gilbert, who is 69 years old, says his life changed because of Special Delivery’s classes. He now volunteers on a weekly basis with Special Delivery.
“My kidneys were beat up because of my diabetes; the doctor said I couldn’t do anything about it. But I went to class and learned how to eat, got the healthy food, lost 100 pounds and now I tell everybody about it everywhere I go,” Gilbert said.
Along with the expansion of a diabetic pantry, FSD also partners with Special Delivery in grocery rescue pick-ups, in which a grocery store is paired with a FSD partner agency that picks up food the store can’t sell any longer, but is still fresh, safe product.
“We could not do what we do without the affiliation with Feeding San Diego; about two-thirds of our food comes through this partnership,” said Ruth.
As she stands up to coordinate a group of volunteers packing the meals while also directing volunteers to organize food to the right fridges and pantry shelves, Ruth smiles, “This is what I was made for.”
