When Mike isn't working with software and finance, you can find him delivering freshly cooked meals for Meals on Wheels Spokane's homebound seniors at least twice a week.
"When I think about what I do in a given week in Spokane," he said. "[Meals on Wheels Spokane] is a big part of it." He's served with MOW Spokane for just over two years and plans on continuing to serve as long as he can. He said it's the interactions with each senior and their unique stories that brings him back each week. "It's just a different element to life and you're getting to interact with and help people from different groups and age groups than you wouldn't normally," he said. "There's a lot of value in that as well. It's cross generational, potentially. Each person is in a unique circumstance in this." Originally from Vancouver B.C., Mike lived in Seattle before moving to Spokane. His "day job" is related to software, helping to do liquidity providing—a type of trading—for small- and mid-cap companies. But it's service to others that gives him a real sense of reward. "When I think about what I do proportionately at the end of the week," he said, "this has a much bigger space in my mind than, proportionately compared with the amount of time it takes, than most of my other activities." Still, Mike is still human. He said, though it's smoother than when he first started, he still occasionally faces challenges on the job. "The most challenging thing is when I make a mistake and I have to go back and fix it," he said. But Mike is always persistent to do the job right, with respect for the seniors relying on his service. Another challenging aspect is witnessing the many struggles each senior faces in person. Those struggles are hard not to take home at the end of the day—particularly if someone on the route passes away. "At the same time, you know you were there for them at a time when they needed somebody, and that's very rewarding," he said. "I'd rather have been there and have known them and had the sorrow of them leaving then never having done it at all." From everyone at Meals on Wheels Spokane, THANK YOU Mike! People like you are make this program function.
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