Mark’s Story

The knock at the door is part of the rhythm of Mark’s week — and so is the smile that follows. After decades of barbering, he still enjoys good conversation, a good joke, and the steady presence of people who show up for him.

For Mark, that includes his family, friends, the Veterans Administration, and the devoted FeedMore WNY volunteers who deliver his meals.

Mark is a retired barber and Air Force Veteran who has received home-delivered meals for five years. When asked how the meals and service have been, he says emphatically, “They’re great!”

“The meals are good, and the people who deliver them are so nice,” Mark says, noting one volunteer who even brings treats for Mark’s cat, named Kat after his late wife, Kathy.

During the Vietnam War, Mark chose to join the Air Force, where he served for three and a half years.

Mark and Kathy went on to have three children — two sons and one daughter. Their daughter, Samantha, followed in Mark’s footsteps and joined the Air Force shortly after high school. But after 14 years of service as a medic and serving during Operation Freedom, she died of a heart attack in Iraq at the age of 33.

Despite it all, Mark’s sense of connection to his community remains strong. Friends he’s known since grade school still visit regularly, and Mark is still known to give haircuts for friends when they visit his home.

“I like my life. I like my kids. I like my grandchildren.” Clasping his hands in prayer, he adds with a smirk, “Every so often, I look up and apologize to my Mom for giving her such a rough go of it. I wasn’t easy.”

For Mark, FeedMore WNY’s home-delivered meal program brings regular meals to his door and familiar faces who stop by, check in, and share a moment in his day.