"We had one woman who was an amputee, her house was so dilapidated, but she was very gracious for what we gave," says Denise. "We would sit in her living room with no lights on, because she was conserving energy and all you could hear were the rats."
It was these types of difficult experiences which made the Stoneburners even more determined to help.
"It broke our hearts, so we tried to do what we could," says Denise.
The Stoneburners began volunteering in the late eighties when they saw that IM was looking for help. "I said to my husband, I think we should look into this, we are pretty blessed and we wanted to find a way to give back," says Denise.
"I thought it was a great idea," says John.
And it was their faith that really prompted them to want to serve. "We view this as a service as Christians, one commandment is to give to those in need and this is a way to do that," says Denise.
Over the years, the Stoneburners have formed strong connections with the seniors they have helped.
"The seniors adopt us, we become more like family to them," says Denise.
One senior kept a picture of the Stoneburners on her fridge. When the senior was moved to a nursing home in Louisiana, the Stoneburners decided to give her a surprise visit. "When we went into that room, her eyes just lit up and she had tears," says John. "She was calling everyone into our room introducing us, she was a sweetie, we have had lots of sweeties."
And although the seniors didn't always have much, they were always ready to give.
During one delivery the couple left the food outside, because the senior was not home.
The next month when they went back, the senior greeted them at the door with a bag of food. She said that someone else had come right after the Stoneburners so she had received two bags that month.
"Tears come to your eyes and break your heart and this woman was in more need than others, but she wanted to make sure the bag got to those who needed it," says John.
The Stoneburners say that the seniors were also very thankful for the deliveries, but the couple says in the end they got more out of the program than the seniors.
And that has rubbed off on the people around them. "One member of our church decided to prepare meals for the seniors for Thanksgiving and Christmas," says John.
Church members have also adopted seniors for Christmas. The Stoneburner's 13-year-old son Trevor has also been volunteering with his parents since he was a kid.
"We hope and pray that this experience is something that he will take with him all his life to really understand what gratitude is all about and understand what it means to be part of a community," says Denise.
Trevor's parents hope that more people can take the time to learn from the seniors in our community.
"You look around and see people griping and complaining and then you visit with these people who are so thankful, their faith is so strong, it's refreshing," says Denise.
"There is just so much that has gone on in their lives, they have had so little, but they aren't complaining about it," says John.
Denise adds, "they have gone through it with courage and gratitude."
It was that hope and human interaction that pushed the Stoneburners to continue to volunteer for so many years.
"Even though it seems so little, it is a great deal to them, you can never undervalue the value of what you are doing," says John.
"We take a few hours a month, to take a box of groceries, to have a short visit with these seniors who have become important in our lives," says Denise. "It's not a whole lot to us, but it is to them and we always walk away feeling so blessed because we have the ability to do this."
For more information about our volunteer opportunities contact rcjohn@imgh.org
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