With a huge smile on her face, April Thomas delivered the first meal of the day on her Meals on Wheels route in Waynesville.

Thomas is a regular volunteer for the program, which provides meals to homebound residents in Haywood County, but there is something special about her and the other volunteers she works with.

Thomas is a Haywood Vocational Opportunities client. HVO provides vocational training and employment opportunities to adults with disadvantages and disabilities. And apparently, HVO also gives its clients a chance to give back to the community.

For the past several years every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, a group of volunteers sets out from HVO in a van to deliver much-needed meals to people who might otherwise go without.

It’s a service many elderly and disabled in the county ...