Every charity has its unsung heroes. They are the people that feed stray cats in the pouring rain, or stay late to stuff envelopes. They are often the people missed by the limelight.

During the holiday season, Meals on Wheels volunteer William Nearon, 69, was willing to dodge potential bullets to deliver meals to needy people in the Pembroke area.

"When we went to deliver the Christmas meal shortly before Christmas, that morning on Court Street there was a shooting," said Mr. Nearon. "So we were blocked from delivering from one lady."

Mr. Nearon and another volunteer were forced to take another route.

"Our route takes us to some of the neighbourhoods hit by violence," said Mr. Nearon. "I have no problem with the people living there. They get to know we are coming through. But with all this gun play, you never know what is around the corner."

He said the shootings in the area have left many of their clients frightened.

"The older people are a bit timid," he said. "They don't come out as much as they did. One lady, who is not that old, is thinking about relocating."

The charity, Meals On Wheels, based on a similar charity in the United States, was founded in 1975 to provide meals for those who were unable to cater for themselves.

It began by serving 15 people, but now serves 220 meals a day, four times a week to homes and to the dialysis unit. The charity depends heavily on volunteers like Mr. Nearon. A typical meal service day would involve approximately 40 people including cooks and people washing up.

Every year Meals on Wheels serves a special Christmas meal. This year it consisted of roast turkey, cranberry sauce, plum pudding, and juice, among other things.

Mr. Nearon, 69, delivered the Christmas meal to people on Route 2, which covers parts of Pembroke including Friswells Hill, the North Shore and Glebe Road, among other places.

He retired from airport operations in 2002, and has been a Meals On Wheels volunteer since that time.

Mr. Nearon said unfortunately, some of the people they deliver to seem to have been forgotten by their families.

"It is not like it is happening to everyone but some older people have been forgotten," said Mr. Nearon. "It seems like their kids have forgotten who brought them up."

Mr. Nearon said that working with Meals On Wheels has been an eye-opening experience. "I never realised there were so many people in Bermuda who need the service," he said. "Some people save their meal on Wednesday because we don't deliver on Thursdays.

"These are people with relatives. A lot of people are lonely they want to talk, but unfortunately, we don't have time because we are delivering. Some people are diabetics and they need to get their meals everyday on time. It is difficult to sit with each person and have a talk. There are 18 people waiting for deliveries on some routes."

But he said some Meals On Wheels volunteers go back later, on their own time, and chat with the Meals On Wheels clients.

Mr. Nearon has got to know many people along his route in the last eight years.

"The clients wait to see us," he said. "If we are ten minutes late the clients sometimes call and complain. On my route there has been no problem. On some other routes people complain that their portion is too small or too big, or they don't like this or that. So we work it out in the kitchen. We have a great bunch of people in the kitchen. They do a really good job."

Mr. Nearon decided to volunteer with Meals On Wheels because he didn't have a lot to do after he retired.

He delivers on Wednesdays, and helps with clean up in the kitchen in Paget on Fridays.

"I am a bachelor so I am used to washing dishes," he said. "I cook quite a bit at home, but here I just do the washing up. The cooks at Meals on Wheels start early morning around 8 a.m. and I can't make that as I have other commitments."

Meals On Wheels has around 17 routes across the Island. They deliver four times a week. They have added two new routes this year. Two people service each of the routes, so there are around 34 people who drive the routes, and ten people who work in the kitchen. Not all of the clients are elderly. Some are younger, but disabled. The clients are usually physically disabled, sick, or have grown too frail or forgetful to cook anymore.

"The folks I have encountered on this route have still got their faculties. Some of them are sharper than I am. They run from in their 50s to 90s. Some of the younger ones get their meals because they don't want to cook." He said clients are evenly divided between men and women. Some clients live in good conditions, while others live in homes a bit more run down.

"They definitely look forward our deliveries," said Mr. Nearon. "If they didn't have it they might be losing weight because they wouldn't have the food. Some could cook for themselves but would rather not.

"No one is turned away, if they need the meals," said Mr. Nearon. "If you can't afford to pay for it, it is provided free. Sixty percent do pay for their meals and the other percentage get it free. It is four dollars a meal for those who pay."

He said being a senior citizen himself, he is grateful that he is able to take care of himself.

"Anyone getting up in age worries about having an accident," he said. "You have to think positively. "It does make you feel good if you help someone.

"That is the best thing about it when you volunteer and give of your time and energy, and how these people receive it and how grateful they are. It makes you feel good."

He admitted that the downside to volunteering with an organisation that dealt with a lot of elderly people was that they sometimes passed away.

"Funerals do come up," he said. "That is the sad part of it. Sometimes you come back from vacation and find that three of our recipients are no longer with us. I have been to maybe two funerals in the last eight years."

He said Meals on Wheels was always looking for more volunteers.

"If we had the manpower we could probably deliver all week," he said. "We are always looking for more volunteers. Unless you know the route it is very difficult to just jump in the car and drive it. We try to get people who know a route very thoroughly."

This year, for the first time, Meals On Wheels started to put people in need of the service on a waiting list. Mr. Nearon said anyone interested in volunteering for Meals on Wheels should contact Meals on Wheels administrator, Tannika Rodrigues.

"It is a happy group," he said. "There are people from all walks of life, black, white, old, young, rich and poor. Everyone works together. It is the first time I have been in an organisation that works that way.

"It is a nice, rewarding experience. I would recommend it to anyone who has some time on their hands to come and help us, even if you just did one day a week. It is only an hour and a half from 11.30 a.m. to 12.30 a.m."

And he said Meals On Wheels, like any other charity, was always looking for funding.

"The meals cost about six or seven dollars to produce so we aren't making any profit on it," he said. "They have to be subsidised."

For more information about Meals on Wheels, contact them at 236-1815, or email them at mealsonwheelslogic.bm

Do you know of an unsung hero? If so e-mail jmonizroyalgazette.bm with the details.