At Volunteers of America Colorado, we often talk about love as something lived, not just felt. And there’s no better example of that than Mel Faes, a 100-year-old World War II veteran who continues to show up for his community with unwavering compassion.
For more than 40 years, Mel has volunteered with Meals on Wheels, delivering nutritious meals…and so much more…to homebound neighbors across the Denver area every Monday morning. These visits are about connection as much as they are about nourishment. For many recipients, Mel is the familiar face, the warm conversation, the reminder that someone cares.
Mel’s sons, Nick, John, and Jim, now help with the driving, but Mel still insists on carrying each meal to the door himself, because for him, it’s not just service. It’s love in motion. “It’s not really work. It’s something you love to do,” he says, a sentiment that beautifully reflects the heart of our mission.
His decades of dedication were recently honored with Denver7’s Everyday Hero Award, a recognition of the kind of selfless spirit that inspires us all. But Mel’s motivation has never been about recognition; it’s about compassion, continuity, and the human connection that transforms a simple delivery into an act of love.
This February, we celebrate volunteers like Mel, whose service reminds us that love isn’t just something we feel, it’s something we do. And in every meal delivered, every smile shared, and every moment spent with a neighbor in need, that love makes all the difference.