Goodwill Partnership Creates Sense of Community

Home Delivered Meals Drivers Deliver Meaningful Connection

Nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older are considered socially isolated from their community and natural social structures like family and friends. Isolation can result in an increased risk of loneliness and serious medical conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To help combat feelings of isolation and loneliness for participants of Goodwill’s Home Delivered Meals program – our largest program for homebound older adults – we collaborated with Milwaukee-based nonprofit, TimeSlips Creative Storytelling, on their “Beautiful Questions” project. This project taps into the power of storytelling and meaningful communication to celebrate the perspectives of older adults and create a shared space for individuals to connect, engage and express themselves.

More Than A Question; It’s Connection

As part of this project, TimeSlips provided Goodwill Home Delivered Meals drivers with creative communication techniques, “Beautiful Questions,” to create a deeper sense of community with meal recipients. These open-ended questions do not rely on fact or memory empowering individuals to share imaginative, diverse responses while engaging in meaningful connections that reduce loneliness and enhance their well-being.

Creating Community Close To Home

Goodwill’s Home Delivered Meals drivers incorporated the “Beautiful Questions” as part of their delivery routes encouraging meal recipients to engage in questions printed on postcards and the back of menus which also contained a number to call and leave voicemail responses, further facilitating connection and personal expression.

“Through incorporating ‘Beautiful Questions’ on their meal delivery routes, Goodwill drivers engaged recipients through a creative outlet that combats isolation and positively impacts their lives by bringing them closer to their community,” said Michelle Drouillard, manager, community services at Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago.

TimeSlips Beautiful Questions Project Community Installation

Hundreds of meal recipients provided responses that were featured in an interactive community installation curated by TimeSlips and local artists. The interactive installation featured phone booths with audio of Beautiful Question responses on a re-engineered pay phone and written responses in the style of wheat pasted advertisements. Community members could also complete a “Glad Lib” story using Beautiful Questions responses to fill in the blanks. Attendees were encouraged to take Beautiful Questions home with them to share with older adults in their life.

Home Delivered Meals Drivers Deliver Meaningful Connection

Watch Goodwill Home Delivered Meals Driver, Regenia Thomas-Love, using Beautiful Questions to engage a meal recipient on their daily route.