Having a developmental difference is no reason someone cannot give back to his community. This week’s Everyday Hero is someone who thrives to make people happy with a meal and a smile.
- John Paul Rodriguez has Down syndrome
- He is part of the whole process of packing and delivering meals
- Discover more Everyday Heroes right here
For 21-year-old John Paul Rodriguez, each and every Thursday is circled on his calendar.
“It’s fun,” the Meals on Wheels volunteer says while packing a cooler.
Each Thursday he knows it is his day to help feed people in Apopka. He walks with an extra pep in his step to the houses he is assigned to deliver to. He is anxious in a good way just to knock on someone's door.
You can tell Rodriguez is both nervous and excited to greet someone. He tries just to get the word "good" out for “good morning,” but the person he delivers to knows him well. She instead asks the question, "How are you this morning?"
Right on cue, he is smiling behind a mask and yells out, "Really good!"
Rodriguez has Down syndrome, but does not let that hold him back from helping with the Meals On Wheels Program once a week.
“I feed other people,” he says.
When the cooler is packed and the bus is ready to go with some of his friends, he's already thinking about the people he refers to as his friends he delivers meals to.
“JP has a naturally nice personality," Paul Dunard a Meals on Wheels volunteer says. "He’s always happy to see people which makes them happy to see him too.”
It’s not just the delivery of the meals Rodriguez takes seriously. He’s a part of the whole process.
From helping make the meals to packing up the meals to loading them up on the bus, and sharing the credit and experience with other volunteers.
From start to finish, this Everyday Hero always gives it his best effort, even making small talk with those he delivers to.
Rodriguez has been doing Meals on Wheels for several months now, and always does his best to ensure social distancing when making drop-offs.
If you have an everyday hero you would like to nominate, go right here to nominate someone.