Congratulations to Steuart Samuels, honored as Volunteer of the Quarter for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025–26 at Meals on Wheels Salinas Valley.

Every Wednesday morning, the familiar sound of Stu and his red Volkswagen van signals his arrival at the MOWSV warehouse—its cargo filled with fresh produce picked up from the Food Bank for Monterey County. Stu has been making these deliveries since 2016, when the program manager at the time asked if he could help with weekly produce pickups from the Food Bank, then located just down the street from MOWSV’s Clark Street site. “I thought it was a temporary gig,” Stu shared, “but it turned out to be a necessary weekly job.” Encouraged at the time to continue volunteering by his wife, MOWSV President and CEO Regina Gage, he has faithfully shown up ever since.

What Stu enjoys most about volunteering is the camaraderie he witnesses each Wednesday morning. “There’s lots of teamwork unloading the van. Everybody jumps in to help, and we all have good conversations,” he said. Through his role, Stu sees firsthand how the collaboration between MOWSV and the Food Bank benefits seniors who are unable to shop or cook for themselves, reinforcing his belief that MOWSV is a very worthy cause.

Before retiring in 2020, Stu spent more than 40 years working in the Bay Area at S.T.A.R. (Saint Andrews Residential), a nonprofit youth program he founded in 1976. S.T.A.R. provides housing and care for youth who are wards of the court and has grown from a single group home to five homes, along with additional foster care programs over the years. The organization will celebrate its 50th anniversary later this year. Stu continues to serve on the board of directors and provides consulting support to the program.

Stu earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counselor education from San Jose State University. Early in his career, he worked as a resource counselor for developmentally delayed clients in Minnesota before returning to California, where he founded the S.T.A.R. program in Cupertino.

Stu shared “I lived in lots of places in Silicon Valley during my growing up and young adulthood, but now call Prunedale home.”  Stu has lived in the Salinas area with his wife, Regina, for 25 years. He has three grown children—Megan in Seattle, Blake in Santa Barbara, and Alison in Prunedale—and five grandchildren. “I stay very busy being a grandpa, taking care of our animals, feeding pigs, doing yardwork, and fixing things,” Stu said. An avid traveler, he also enjoys sailing and owns a 1991, 36‑foot sailboat, which he has sailed from San Francisco to the Channel Islands numerous times. And of course, he loves tinkering with his beloved 1971 red Volkswagen van.

We are pleased to recognize Stu as Meals on Wheels Salinas Valley’s Volunteer of the Quarter – Rural Routes. Thank you, Stu, for your dedication and service. We look forward to hearing—and seeing—you pull into the warehouse every Wednesday morning with your van full of produce. Your commitment truly makes a difference.