Steve, Barbara Cohn win Petaluma Service to Seniors award

There is a little ritual that Steve and Barbara Cohn have done twice a month for the past 14 years. They pack up the car with food and drive around Petaluma delivering it to low income seniors.

With Barbara as the driver, Steve hand-delivers the meals right to the Petaluma residents’ door. Many of the seniors are homebound, and the Cohns’ visit is the only human interaction they will have all day.

For Steve Cohn, a Petaluma Realtor, the deliveries are an opportunity to give back to the community that has given him so much.

“I don’t just go in and take off,” he said. “I stay and have a conversation. I like to think we are bringing a little sunshine to their lives.”

For their tireless work with Petaluma’s Meals on Wheels program, the husband and wife team have been honored with the 2017 Service to Seniors award. They will receive the award at the Petaluma Community Awards of Excellence on April 20 at the Sheraton Petaluma Hotel.

The honor comes at a difficult time for the Meals on Wheels program, which is run locally by Petaluma People Services Center. The latest proposed budget from the Trump administration calls for the elimination of community development block grants, which is partly used to fund Meals on Wheels programs.

But volunteers like the Cohns are unpaid, and could help ensure the survival of the program. Elece Hempel, executive director of Petaluma People Services Center, praised the Cohns for touching the lives of many local seniors.

“For over 14 years - yes, over 14 years - Steve and Barbara, at twice a month, have been driving Meals on Wheels for Petaluma People Services Center. This equates to over 672 hours of volunteer services to seniors in Petaluma,” she wrote in an email. “Meals on Wheels is much more than just delivering a hot meal to homebound seniors, it is delivering a connection to others, and that is what Steve and Barbara do so well.”

Steve Cohn, 64, said that occasionally he will find one of his seniors on his route in need of medical attention and will alert a caregiver. Other times, he will find people who are lonely and in need of a friend to talk to.

“I get satisfaction from giving,” he said. “You need to give back to the community that supports you.”

The Cohns grew up in Marin County and moved to Petaluma in 1980. They have been married for 41 years, and raised two children in Petaluma, and served on the PTA.

Steve Cohn, who is also involved in the Native Sons of the Golden West, said he tries to stay active in the community.

“Petaluma is a great community,” he said. “Everyone should give back. Being involved is important. Sometimes people forget that because life gets in the way.”

(Contact Matt Brown at matt.brown@arguscourier.com.)