When Tropical Storm Edouard blocked streets with debris and knocked out power across Beaumont, one thing still had to happen every weekday at noon: a hot meal at the door for homebound seniors who cannot get out to get their own.

Nutrition and Services for Seniors runs its Meals on Wheels program out of a Beaumont kitchen, delivering food to homebound seniors and disabled adults across Jefferson and Hardin counties. In a typical year, roughly 275 volunteers deliver close to 400,000 meals to about 2,000 people. For many recipients, the volunteer at the door is the only person they see that day.

The storm didn't pause that need, it complicated it. Blocked streets made some routes harder to run the same week the organization was already short on drivers. The program is actively recruiting volunteers now, and anyone with a few open hours on a weekday and a reliable car can call 409-892-4455 to help.

It is easy to measure storm recovery in restored power and cleared curbs. For a homebound senior in Beaumont, it sometimes just means the meal still showed up.