On Friday mornings, Donald Berger gets into his car and drives to St. Luke’s Hospital in Palmerton. Berger makes his way to the back of the building, where he picks up pre-prepared meals and food-filled bags for delivery to residents in the area.

Berger, 78, of Palmerton, has carried out a similar routine as a volunteer with Meals on Wheels of Palmerton for the last 18 years.

Meals on Wheels of Palmerton traces its roots back to 1972, when a group of residents formed the organization to provide ready-made meals to people who weren’t able to prepare or shop for food for themselves.

Berger’s start with Meals on Wheels was a result of perfect timing. And that much, he pointed out, can be said for many of his experiences.

“I tell people I’ve always been at the right place at the right time,” Berger said.

Berger was born in Aquashicola. His father worked as a laborer at the New Jersey Zinc Company, like many other fathers in the area.

“All the kids were on the same economic level, and we didn’t know we were poor,” Berger recalled. “Our parents never entertained us, and never felt the need to entertain us. We’d entertain each other.”

“I think of all the things that we didn’t have, and it really doesn’t matter. We had enough to eat, and the kids were happy,” he added.

As a high school senior, Berger joined a naval reserve in Allentown. Before graduation, a friend convinced Berger to try his hand at becoming an electronics electrician.

“I would have never thought of it, but I’ve been at the right place at the right time,” Berger said, reaffirming the kismet nature of his life’s adventures. 

After high school, Berger went into active duty. He was sent straight to the naval base in Great Lakes, Illinois, where he studied electronics for 48 weeks. From there, Berger traveled to South Carolina. He boarded a destroyer, which gave him the chance to journey Spain, France, Italy and other far-off locations.

Including his time in the reserve, Berger spent around six years in the Navy. His transition into civilian life was aided by the spur-of-the-moment decision he made out of high school, and not two months after getting out, he was hired at then Western Electric as a technician. He stayed with the company for almost 40 years. Over that time, he married and raised four children.

Berger’s next adventure came when he was 60-years-old. A few of the fellow congregates at his church, Holy Trinity on Lafayette, volunteered with Meals on Wheels of Palmerton, and like a page out of his own history book, advice from a friend prompted Berger to get involved. 

“He talked me into riding with him to see what they do,” Berger said. “I started out really like a substitute if somebody couldn’t do their route.”

Eventually, Berger became familiar with each route, and the people on them.

“I’ve never regretted it,” he said. “It’s a good feeling to see smiling faces when you’re bringing food for them.”

Those interaction are Berger’s favorite part of the job. If you were to follow him on his route, which he takes every morning, you’d witness warm hellos, bright smiles and the occasional checking in. He’s delivered to participants all over the area, from Aquashicola to Palmerton to Bowmanstown.

When the weather permits, Berger’s wife Dorothy often accompanies him on his deliveries.

“A lot of these people, you may be the only person they get to talk to. At least some of them are couples, but the ones that live alone, sometimes I spend 10-15 minutes talking with the person,” Berger said.

“I think I get more out of it then the people I deliver to,” he added. “To look at them and see them smile, it just gives you a really good feeling.”  

For $7 a day, Meals on Wheels of Palmerton clients receive a delivery of three meals worth of food to their homes Monday through Friday. Volunteers even deliver on holidays. The program is sustained through donations from local community groups, churches and Palmerton residents. Its food distribution operates out of St. Luke’s campus on Lafayette Avenue.

“St. Luke’s has continued to support us, so were very grateful for that,” Bill Gallagher, president of Meals on Wheels in Palmerton and council member of Palmerton Borough Council, said.

For the volunteers, Gallagher, who once volunteered as a deliverer himself, said there is a simple motivation.

“People just want to help out, that’s all it is,” Gallagher said. “They just do it out of the goodness of their hearts.”

If you’d like to volunteer with Meals on Wheels of Palmerton, go to their website, or call (610) 826-1163.

Captions:

Donald Berger, of Palmerton, has been a volunteer with Meals on Wheels of Palmerton for 18 years. DANIELLE DERRICKSON/TIMES NEWS

[naviga:font color="#000000" face="Calibri, sans-serif" size="3"]Donald Berger prepares to deliver a meal to a Meals on Wheels of Palmerton client. [/naviga:font]DANIELLE DERRICKSON/TIMES NEWS