Congratulations Don Gonzalez, honored as the Volunteer of the Quarter -Salinas routes - for the first quarter fiscal year 2025-26. Don goes above and beyond in his role as a volunteer meal delivery driver with Meals on Wheels Salinas Valley. He often is available to deliver additional routes when we are short of volunteer drivers. Don started volunteering in 2014 – 11 years ago! “I retired the beginning of July 2014 and intended to apply at MOWSV the following week, but when I got home from my last day of work, I had a jury summons in the mail!” said Don. “I waited until I was excused from jury duty and started at MOWSV the first Tuesday in August 2014.”

Don shared that his favorite part of volunteering is meeting all the different types of people on the routes he delivers to. He commented, “From the clients in fancy houses to the seniors that have tendencies to be hoarders, they all seem to be really glad for the service we provide.”

Before Don became a volunteer with MOWSV, he had decided, long ago, that he would retire at the end of the pay period when he turned 65 years old – and he did! Don began his career in 1968 working full-time in the grocery industry and continued that path for 10 years. He then changed jobs and worked at Berkeley Farms from 1977 to 1987. Following 10 years with Berkeley Farms, Don changed course and delivered magazines in the San Francisco East Bay area from 1987 to 1995.

Don and his wife, moved to the Monterey area in 1995 and they bought and managed a restaurant in Pacific Grove for a few years. Always on the move, Don tired of the restaurant business, sold the restaurant, and worked for Monterey County Free Libraries from 1997 until he retired in 2014. During Don’s time working at MCFL, he was the manager of the North County Bookmobile. “My last year with the library I was awarded the “Going the Extra Mile” award. I'd been there 17 years and was honored to receive this award,” said Don.

Don was born and raised in San Francisco. He got married in 1970 and the couple first lived in San Francisco, then Daly City, bought their first house in Pacifica, then moved to San Leandro before moving to Pacific Grove, followed by a move to Seaside. Now, the couple lives in Salinas. Don and his wife have been married 55 years. They have one son who lives in Virginia with a 9-year-old grandson.

Don shared that he had volunteered at the Salinas Animal Shelter from 2014 to 2020. “The week after I started with MOWSV I started at the Animal Shelter,” he said. Don was responsible to clean up after and feed the cats. When he finished those tasks, he would socialize the cats to prepare them for adoption. Unfortunately, when Covid started in 2020, the shelter stopped volunteers from going in to help. When Covid eased up, Don (and many other volunteers from the shelter) made the hard decision not to continue their volunteer work there due to many new regulations that were enforced by the shelter.

Don likes to joke and say, “During my free time I have become an expert at doing nothing.” We disagree as we are a recipient of all the hours that Don volunteers with MOWSV! We are so grateful for all the time and energy you give to the seniors on our program. Congratulations, Don, on being honored as our Volunteer of the Quarter.