Long sandy beach

From a young age, Bill Cruikshank’s mother was able to dress up as an elf on Christmas and help deliver food and gifts to older closures. Cruikshank’s father helped the lawyer by accepting clients who could not afford to hire a lawyer. One-off payments other than cash. An elderly woman, Mama Piscatelli, was an excellent cook who paid her attorney’s fees for a wonderful lasagna dinner.

“My parents were a great example of generosity and kindness,” Cruikshank told me last week. “I always remember their kindness to others. Cruikshank now practices this cuteness every day as the longtime general secretary of Long Beach Meals on Wheels, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. ..

MOWLB started as a Soroptimist International service project in Long Beach in 1971 and has served 10 clients. The program has grown rapidly and now serves approximately 600 clients per day.

He’s come a long way since dressing up as an elf and helping his mother deliver food and gifts to his returning elders. But life hasn’t always been smooth with Cruikshank. Noted. “I have struggled to stay calm and find peace for years. It’s a lot that God found me, took me and gave me the opportunity to live. It was through a painful experience. “

Cruikshank said he met priest Father Al Scott many years ago. He said everyone has a hole in their soul and the purpose of life is to fill that hole. The other verbal solution was just to find them out and the holes were getting bigger and bigger, ”he said. “The priest told me that he would look back at the end of our lives and find that the only thing that filled the gap was giving to others, and unexpectedly. Giving is the kindness to act. “

Cruikshank said his “dark days” began after graduating from Loyola Marymount University. He worked for some time in the automotive finance and trade industry. But he said, “I was clean and calm when I was 27 and struggled to start working on a drug treatment program as a program administrator.”

He was looking for a life change in 2010 when he responded to an ad for an organization looking for an operations manager with nonprofit and food handling experience. The interview took place at the United Methodist Church in Belmont Heights, where the Meals on Wheels was held. However, he said the ad did not mention meals on wheels.

“When I went to the interview and realized where I was, my mother’s memory rushed in and I knew I was in the right place,” he said.

Cruikshank said he and MOW President Judy Pedneault had a “great conversation” about his life and how he wanted to help others. He was hired that afternoon.

Pedno said he was not happy with the rental.

“Bill does a great job with Meals on Wheels. He’s a person and despite his busy schedule, he always has time to talk to anyone who wants to talk to him. Welcome him. I’m very lucky to be able to do this. “He said he was thankful to God every day for leading him to MOW. “My job is very satisfying in many ways. We serve very vulnerable and lonely people in Long Beach. They are at the heart of our work. They are Job 1.

He praised the staff and volunteers who gave time and kindness to the client. I am surrounded every day by the nicest people anyone can know. I like to come to work every day. Cruikshank spoke about volunteers who take short vacations and work tirelessly because they don’t want to be too far away from their clients.

“She keeps a calendar in her car that records the birthdays of all recipients and has a birthday card,” he said. “She brings them flowers and special candies. She buys candy (unsweetened for diabetics) and sometimes puts them in the customer’s lunch bag, ”he said. “We don’t encourage candy, but sometimes everyone needs candy. It is at the heart of our work. She is Meals on Wheels. Her and the Others It reminds me of her passion for helping my mom and others. “

He also likes to talk about another volunteer disguised as the invisible rabbit Harvey, who rose to fame in the 1950 film starring James Stewart. “Rabbits are my puka (a benign but playful creature in Celtic mythology),” he said. “We toured our customers to deliver the eggs last Easter. I know Harvey is looking over my shoulder and bringing the same kindness as Jimmy Stewart. We are going too far. “Personally, I imagine working with MOW until I can’t do it anymore, or they eat me up. I always want to be surrounded by nice people. I’m nice. If so, it is because of the kind people I have been blessed with in my life. For MOW, Cruikshank says the organization continues to grow and serve more people in need. Recently, MOW collaborated with Pathways in Lakewood and Heart of Ida in Long Beach. “Pathways has almost everything any of our clients can offer, from hospice service to grief support. There are several programs with great staff that can solve any problem, ”says Cruikshank. .. “When we deliver meals, we meet people who slip through the void of the social safety net. A significant number of our clients are low income and do not know where to go. Funded by the Archstone Foundation, MOW worked with Pathways and the Cal State Long Beach School of Nursing to develop a Care Navigation program that helps clients stay safe and happy at home. Ida’s core is a digital inclusion program designed to provide qualified MOW customers with “senior single” online training on the use of tablets, WiFi hotspots and devices.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how lonely and isolated this community is for those who work with seniors from home. This project will help change that, ”he said. Noted.

Cruikshank said there are many opportunities to improve his life and he intends to find and make them work.

He said he read Mother Teresa’s book every morning for inspiration. “She keeps it simple, and for her it always comes down to love and kindness,” he said. “She said, ‘Do the little things with a lot of love. She’s so real, her advice is that I can actually practice at work, in the market, anywhere, with anyone. . “