At DSCC, our volunteers play a big part in making our mission possible. We have a stellar group of volunteers that always step up to help when needed. One of these volunteers is Stella Niesen, who delivers meals from our Meals on Wheels site in Aurora.

Stella’s hard work as a volunteer delivery driver led her to receive an award for her efforts and also allowed the seniors on her route to building personal connections while they receive their meals. We talked with Stella about her experience as a DSCC/KSC volunteer and her philosophy on why it’s important to help others.

Going Above and Beyond

Stella first decided to volunteer with us in February 2022 when the COVID-19 pandemic made her want to get out and help others. Since then, Stella has formed great bonds with the seniors she delivers to. “My route is a really great route,” she says. “I do try to sit there and talk to them for about five or ten minutes a day when I’m there.” Stella notes that along with the meals, most of the seniors simply look forward to having someone there to talk to. “They all have their own stories.”

This past year, Stella received an award from the Illinois Triad Association. She received the 2022 Senior Citizen Volunteer Award for her hard work delivering meals to seniors in Aurora. Stella would help deliver three times a week, as well as help in the kitchen and pack meals for other routes to help meet the need at our North Aurora site.

Stella’s advice to anyone interested in volunteering is “Do it. You get so much out of it.” Her philosophy for wanting to help out older adults is “I might be in that position someday. We all might.”

Stella received the 2022 Senior Citizen Volunteer Award from the Illinois Triad Association.

Go Ahead and Volunteer

It is thanks to volunteers like Stella that we are able to fulfill our mission of helping seniors live in dignity. We are truly grateful for our hardworking, selfless volunteers that come out every day to help. “If you can volunteer, go ahead and volunteer,” Stella says. “You’ll get a lot of happiness out of it. It’s just nice to help people out.”