In 1950, Charlie left his home in Alabama to work a civil service job at the Air Force Base in Oklahoma. There, he met the love of his life, Audrey. Audrey caught Charlie’s eye at church on Sunday and Charlie told his friends that he was going to ask her out. His friends told him there was no way she was going to go out with him and bet him $5 that he couldn’t get her to agree to go on a date with him. Charlie won the bet and won Audrey’s heart as well. In 1956, Audrey and Charlie headed west and landed in California. They raised their two sons in Livermore and have lived here since.

In December of 2019, Audrey was set to come home after suffering a stroke. Their oldest son Monte, reached out to Spectrum asking for help for his parents. Audrey and Charlie both became Meals on Wheels clients and receive lunch four days a week.

When asked if he would recommend Spectrum’s services to others, Charlie answered, “Absolutely! The meals have helped me to be able to care for Audrey. She had always taken care of me, the kids and our home. Now, I am caring for her and I can’t cook. The meals help me keep her healthy. We enjoy the daily visits from our wonderful volunteers.”

Speaking of the Meals on Wheels volunteers, Charlie rates them as “first class.” “They are so kind and give us a family feeling. They make a point of saying “hello” to Audrey even if she can’t make it to the door. We were so thankful for the Christmas gifts that Spectrum collected and delivered.”

Like most people, the pandemic has caused some changes to Audrey and Charlie’s daily habits, but despite missing going out, they say that their lives haven’t been affected that much. Both want to stay as safe and healthy as possible and so they said they both received their vaccinations and boosters and always wear their masks when out in public.