Vietnam Veteran Delivers Hot Meals and Hope

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Michael Panza. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Michael Panza will tell you he gets more out of volunteering than the people he serves. The clients he delivers meals to would probably disagree.

For the past six years, Michael has been a dedicated volunteer with

in Houston, Texas — first through the AniMeals program, which provides pet food to homebound seniors with animals, and then expanding to deliver hot meals and groceries to clients on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Between meal deliveries, a monthly pet food run, twice-weekly shifts at a local food pantry and an annual holiday gift bag drive that produces 20 to 40 generously stocked bags for clients each Christmas season, Michael estimates he gives about 20 hours a month to the cause.

A Vietnam-era U.S. Air Force veteran who spent decades working in corporate sales, the New Jersey Lottery and hearing aid services before retiring to Houston, Michael also made good on some unfinished business in 2021, earning his bachelor’s degree nearly 40 years after he was supposed to graduate. He started volunteering simply because he needed something to do. Six years later, he can’t imagine stopping.

What first got you into volunteering with Meals on Wheels?

I needed something to do. Somebody told me about Meals on Wheels, and I was raised to help whenever I can. I’m a great believer that if everybody does a little, a lot can be accomplished. So I went down, asked them if they needed volunteers, they said yes, and I just started doing it. It’s very rewarding to help people.

Tell us about the AniMeals program and why it’s meaningful to you.

The program serves seniors who live by themselves and have a pet. For a lot of them, that pet is their companion — their world, in a lot of ways. Most of these folks are on fixed incomes, mainly Social Security, and they really can’t afford to buy all the food their pet needs. What AniMeals does is supplement that food, so the pet stays healthy and the senior keeps their companion.
Having three rescue dogs and five rescue cats myself, I know what that bond means. My wife and I deliver once a month — usually the fourth Saturday — and at the holidays, Dee will bake them a pumpkin pie or something, just to let them know that someone cares.

What does a typical Meals on Wheels shift look like for you?

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I pick up the meals and drive to each client’s home to deliver them. For many of them, it’s usually the only hot, good meal they get that day. I’ll interact with the clients, see how they’re doing, talk if they have time. You get to know people over the course of time — I see them every week, so I ask how life is treating them, see if they need anything.

Everybody thanks me for doing it, but really, I get so much out of it just knowing these people are being taken care of. They’re very humble and grateful, and what matters most is that they know they’re not just thrown to the wayside.
Is there a client interaction that has really stuck with you?

There’s one gentleman I deliver to who said to me, “You have an aura about you — you don’t know what joy you bring to me.” He’s got family, but he’s pretty isolated. He’s extremely religious, and even though things are hard for him, he always says there are people a lot worse off than he is.

That perspective stays with me. Any time I start to feel sorry for myself, I just say, “ Michael, 90 percent of the people in the world would trade places with you right now.” This work gives you a real perspective on life. It teaches you to be grateful for what you have. And it shows you that you can literally make someone’s day just by a kind word or a little extra effort.

Tell us about the holiday gift bags you and Dee put together each year.

The gift bags are for people who don’t have a lot. We get the list, go shopping and pick up everything on it — plus a few extra things they can’t afford, maybe a nice blouse or a sweater. We deliver them the week before Christmas so they can have something nice and know that the holiday still means something.

We also participate in our church’s giving tree. We’ll pick out five or 10 families and buy things for the kids because they can’t afford Christmas gifts otherwise. Again, if everybody does a little, so much can be accomplished. It’s really not that hard.

You also volunteer at a food pantry twice a week. What is that work like?

It’s at Christian Community Service. People who qualify for supplemental food come in, and we fill their orders — enough food for a week, depending on family size. Right now we’re seeing a lot of large families, three generations under one roof. The people are so grateful.

You just treat everybody with dignity and respect. I try not to be judgmental about how someone got to where they are — they’re where they are, so let’s help them. And hopefully that can be the spark that helps them move on to a better place. But right now, let’s get them through this so they’re not choosing between paying the electric bill and feeding the kids.

Where do you think your heart for service comes from?

My parents. They always said to help people whenever you can, and we were all raised that way. You always have something to share, no matter how tough things may be for you, with people who have less.

The military also ingrained in me that we’re all in this together. You help when you can. That’s how I guess it all came about for me.

Why is it important for people to get involved with causes they care about?

No child or senior should go to bed hungry. That’s how I feel. These are people — human beings. And the time commitment is so minimal. Even one afternoon a week can make a huge difference in someone’s life. If there’s a way I can help, I’m all in.

What do you hope people learn from your story?

That if you just give a little and help a little, so much can be done. You don’t have to change your life or make radical decisions. Even one time a week for a couple of hours — you can make a huge difference in someone’s life. And that’s the most important thing.
Never give up hope and always have faith that good will triumph and that people will be taken care of.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Michael? Find local volunteer opportunities.