Stan Aldrich carries his Tuesday Meals on Wheels deliveries to his truck behind Mayo Clinic Heath Systems in Austin.

Gertie Ellis didn’t make a lunch on Tuesday. She didn’t make one today, either; and if it weren’t for a local service, she would probably just pour a bowl of cereal every day until she got sick of it.

Gertie Ellis receives her Meals on Wheels lunch Tuesday morning. Gertie, like all those who benefit from the program, receives a fresh meal five days per week.

She, and more than 100 others, sometimes nearly 200, in and around Austin are in the same situation. They have homes, money, food and can take care of themselves, but they can’t always make nutritious meals or have the energy or ability to cook. Some are elderly, disabled, low-income or just recovering from minor injuries. Some may not be able to get to the grocery store, stand for more than a few minutes in the kitchen or have anything other than expired food in their cupboards.

That’s where Meals on Wheels has been stepping in locally. The program is still going strong in Austin; the need is significant.

Ellis, who is 92 and has been using Meals on Wheels for several years, has met plenty of good people who deliver directly to her house, like Stan Aldrich, who delivered there on Tuesday. Aldrich has delivered meals once a week for nearly 15 years. Through the course of switching routes and delivering to different homes, he has crossed Ellis’ route several times. He was happy to see her again on Tuesday.

“I was hoping to get her back,” Aldrich said. “She’s a great gal.”

Like most of Meals on Wheels’ drivers and recipients, Aldrich is retired, and he enjoys meeting people and helping them.

“The worst part of the whole thing is when someone goes to a rest home or passes away,” Aldrich said. “You feel real loss because they become friends. … If they weren’t friends before, they become friends.”

That friendship, or at least seeing familiar faces, can make it easier for potential recipients to get into the program. Anyone can receive the meals, which are $4 each. Some low-income applicants can get their meals paid by the state, as well.

Yet the majority of recipients are just like Ellis. She used to work at a nursing home, so she had heard about the program. Though her daughter still stops in to check on her, her daughter can’t be there every day. Ellis’ daughter mentioned Meals on Wheels, and now one driver stops at Ellis’ every day of the week between 11 and noon. That has been a good thing ever since Ellis’ husband died.

“Then, you don’t care whether you eat,” she said about the emotion after losing her husband. “I decided I would be better off if someone was bringing (meals) in.”

Though signing up for assistance programs can be troublesome for some people — whether figuring out how to sign up or overcoming the feeling of embarrassment — Ellis wasn’t averse to the idea.

“Oh, I like having somebody help me out,” she said.

Ellis doesn’t like the idea of spending a lot of time cooking in the kitchen anymore. If she prepared lunches for herself, she’d make it as easy as possible.

“I think I would eat a lot of cereal because that would be simple to fix,” she said.

She may not know how many others have had the exact same idea. It’s very common, according to local Meals on Wheels President Alice Holst.

“Some people can pour a bowl of cereal every day,” Holst said. “But (Meals on Wheels) provides them with a hot, balanced, nutritious meal.”

Like Aldrich, Holst has spent plenty of time with Meals on Wheels recipients and said there would be an immense need without such a program.

Nancy Arneson sees that, too. Her mother received Meals on Wheels for two years. Arneson has spoken with others who realize the need because of unhealthy risks such as weight loss, inability to get around during the winter or simply choosing not to eat because a meal isn’t prepared.

Though other programs provide community meals, many people need food delivered right to their door.

“Considering the number of clients that we serve, there would be a real void for many of these clients to have nutritious meals five days a week,” Holst said.

By Dec. 31, Meals on Wheels will have delivered more than 21,000 meals in Austin in 2011, Holst said.

But more than a filling, nutritious meal, most recipients and drivers enjoy something else: the camaraderie.

“That’s really what the program is all about,” Holst said.

Meals on wheels

Anyone is eligible to register for Meals on Wheels.

To register in Austin, call 438-3140.