> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 11 Meals volunteers taking it to streets - URL: https://www.smdp.com/11-meals-volunteers-taking-it-to-streets/ - Published: 2007-03-22T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T00:16:47.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Community, Santa Monica, #archive-import *11 Meals volunteers taking it to streets* CITYWIDE — With his trademark toothy grin plastered across his face, Police Chief Timothy Jackman greeted 84-year-old John Frank Muchlinski with a new microwave and a yellow flower. It was the first day of spring. As the head of the Santa Monica Police Department chatted with the elderly Polish immigrant, Meals on Wheels volunteer Maria Estrada quietly set down lunch on the table. Soon after they would leave, Muchlinski would heat up his meal — pork rib patty with fresh red beans, seasoned spinach, tossed salad and cantaloupe — with his new microwave. The two hours Jackman spent with Estrada on Wednesday driving around Mid- City, dropping off meal after meal to 15 different customers was more than a long coffee break for the city’s top cop, it was part of a nationwide effort to raise awareness for Meals on Wheels, a program where volunteers deliver hot meals to homebound or disabled residents. The oldest client in the Meals on Wheels West coverage area is 103 years old, the youngest is 25. “This is another opportunity for me go out and meet people (in the community),” Jackman said. A roll call of local politicos participated in the seventh national campaign, entitled March for Meals, including Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom, Malibu City Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich and Big Blue Bus Director of Transit Services Stephanie Negriff, among others. The city of Santa Monica provides funding to the Meals on Wheels program and helped the organization remodel its facility within the First AME Church a few years ago. “I’m interested in seeing the process and seeing if my perception of the program is matched by the reality,” Bloom said. “We fund a lot of the programs and have a perception (of what they are about).” When city officials go out and actually see what the program is about, it helps them in the decision-making later on, he added. The Meals on Wheels program in Santa Monica started in 1974 and gradually grew to serve clients in Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Topanga. The operation is supported by approximately 400 volunteers who drive through 21 different routes in the coverage area. The program has served about 356 different clients so far this fiscal year. Late Wednesday morning, the Meals on Wheels headquarters at the First AME Church in the Pico Neighborhood was bustling with activity, as organizers ran around trying to group city officials with volunteer drivers to get the meals delivered on time. Amid the chaos, volunteers were handing out bunches of yellow flowers to city officials who would be responsible for presenting a flower to each Meals on Wheels client in honor of the Vernal Equinox. Other volunteers were busy loading the trays of meals onto the backseat of their cars. The police chief and Estrada zoomed away in her small green car packed with meals and a microwave for their first stop — Muchlinski. The former Santa Monica hairstylist has received the meals for the past few years after suffering a heart attack and being hospitalized at Saint John’s. It was there that a nurse suggested Muchlinski look into Meals on Wheels. His small apartment on Santa Monica Boulevard is decorated religiously, with a photo of the pope looking on. A daytime television show blasted in the background as Estrada instructed Muchlinski on how to use the microwave. “I don’t need to worry about cooking meals,” Muchlinski replied when asked how Meals on Wheels has improved his life. The Meals on Wheels duo continued their trip, covering Euclid Street and areas north of Wilshire Boulevard. Aside from delivering the meals, Estrada assists with the little things, helping one elderly man put on a jacket and another woman with her pills. The freelancer who is currently working on an animation project with Disney has delivered meals since July and decided to volunteer after her parents, both long-time Meals on Wheels volunteers in San Diego, passed away. “I’d rather donate my time than donate money,” said Estrada, who works her recording sessions around her Wednesday Meals on Wheels schedule. Carrying an armful of trays, Estrada and Jackman stopped by Helga Swain’s apartment on 14th Street. “In celebration of the first day of spring,” Jackman said, as he handed Swain a yellow flower. The 87-year-old Santa Monica resident has received the Meals on Wheels service for about four months. Suffering from arthritis and vision problems and missing a right hand, Swain decided to subscribe for the meals service after finding it difficult to cook herself. “I don’t have time to stand by and peel the potatoes,” she said.“I just can’t do it.” Meals on Wheels Executive Director Rosemary Regalbuto hopes that the campaign on Wednesday will help raise awareness for the program, not only to bring in more volunteers but also clients. “People don’t know we’re here because we don’t have a big advertising budget,” Regalbuto said. “We try and make sure they know about us. “If they need the service, we’re here to serve.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 22, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/032207.pdf?ref=smdp.com)