Her house was filled with mice and mold. Then two Meals on Wheels volunteers stepped in

In 2021, Sylvia Wolfe couldn't sleep without stirring the mice burrowed inside her mattress. The rodents gnawed at electrical wires. The roof leaked, and black mold crawled across the ceilings.

She is sure the conditions of the house could have taken her life, had it not been for the two people who rehabilitated it and asked nothing in return.

Barb and John Fox, volunteers with Bloomington Meals on Wheels, spent two years and thousands of dollars and hours helping Wolfe. This year, their efforts were recognized through the Power of a Knock Volunteer Award and a $15,000 donation by Home Instead.

How one knock sparked a two-year healing process

The Foxes have volunteered with Bloomington Meals on Wheels — an organization that delivers two meals a day to homebound people — for five years, since they both retired and gained free time. On Nov. 15, 2021, they were going along their monthly route when they stopped by Wolfe's house.

Their visit saved her life.

It was a cold day — 28 degrees that morning — at the beginning of a cold week quickly approaching winter. The Foxes met Wolfe, who was almost 70 years old, outside of the small house where she lived alone. She was bundled up, shivering in the brisk air. Wolfe had never been one to seek help, but then Barb asked if she was keeping warm.

"Finally I broke down and told her I didn’t have no heat," Wolfe said.

Her furnace was broken, but she couldn't afford to fix it. The Foxes dropped off her food, wished her well and went on their way. They drove barely a block down the street before deciding they needed to help her, beyond the meal service.

“When I get ahold of something and I feel like it’s the right thing to do, I'm like a bulldog," Barb said. Nothing — not mold, money or her uncompromising fear of mice — would stand in her way.

"It's a miracle that house didn't burn down."

Mold, thick spiderwebs, floors full of holes, frigid temperatures. No functioning smoke detectors. Mice, everywhere, chewing through Wolfe's clothes, mattress, even the coating of electrical wires.

"It's a miracle that house didn't burn down," John said.

Once the Foxes found a solution to a problem, two more seemed to spring up in its place. They knew Wolfe was unsafe in her house. Her health would continue to deteriorate. Dropping off two meals a day was not help enough, but she'd never ask for anything more.

There was only one option, as far as the Foxes were concerned: help her, however they could. Help her, even if it was hard.

Donations, cold calls and a community's compassion

Though the situation was overwhelming, the Foxes got to work. Barb began cold-calling places, trying to find anyone willing to work for free or at a discounted rate. A local contractor donated and installed a new furnace without charge.

Before the intensive work could begin, the house needed to be decontaminated. It was crowded with ceiling-high piles of junk. Wolfe's son, who lived with her before he passed away, was a hoarder, and the stuff filled two full-size dumpsters. Once it was emptied, the house had to be deep-cleaned.

The Foxes reached out to the community for funding. The roof replacement was covered by Wolfe's homeowner's insurance. Sherwood Oaks Christian Church helped with her deductible and replaced all the decking, totaling $1,700. Bloomington Fire Department installed new fire detectors.

In December of 2021, Barb applied to Bloomington Housing and Neighborhood Development's Emergency Home Repair program on Wolfe's behalf. The program provides grants of up to $7,500 to help make homes safer. Applicants must have an income that is 60% or less of the area median income.

Barb struggled to get a response, she said. She didn't let up and called and emailed the department several times a day. Eventually, Wolfe got the funding, but it wasn't enough to cover the extent of the disrepair.

After that, the Foxes created a GoFundMe. To date, the campaign has raised $4,350. Barb kept the page updated with the status of the home repairs and Wolfe's well-being.

One day at a time

Wolfe turned 71 this May. She didn't do anything to celebrate.

"I just thanked God I was still alive," she said.

Heart attacks and pneumonia have sent her to the hospital more than once, and she suffers from diabetes. Of her four children, two have passed away. She said they are in heaven, but it isn't time for her to join them yet.

Wolfe peers out at the world through red, plastic-rimmed glasses. She's taking the months one day at a time. Except for a few tweaks and repairs, her home is finished. Her favorite color is blue, and she chose two shades of blue paint — one medium, one dark — for the walls of her newly renovated home.

A pit bull mix named Sugar and a tabby cat named Defiance are Wolfe's closest companions. Sugar stayed at the Monroe County Humane Association and Defiance visited a relative when Wolfe stayed in hotels for nearly two months while contractors worked in her home.

Wolfe, an animal lover to her core, couldn't muster the will to set out traps that would kill the mice infesting her home. Before the Foxes began helping, she used catch-and-release traps so she could relocate the mice instead.

Though the house is nearly finished, the Foxes talk with Wolfe every day. They help with her bills and make sure she's doing OK.

"I've never had better friends," Wolfe said.

"It was the right thing to do."

The Foxes helped Wolfe move her belongings in and out of the house. They bought her a new refrigerator (one without "bells and whistles," at Wolfe's request), a window air conditioner, vinyl flooring and more. They stayed by her side through hospitalization.

Not once did they consider repayment or reward. "It was just the right thing to do," Barb said.

A few weeks ago, the Foxes found out they'd been recognized by Meals on Wheels America and Home Instead with the Power of a Knock Volunteer Award. Bloomington Meals on Wheels received a $15,000 donation.

The Foxes were shocked. They said they hope this honor will draw more volunteers and more reliable resources to the organization. Bottom line, it's all about helping people, Barb said. Reaching out to the community and garnering support taught her that people are willing to help — they just don't know how. They don't know what questions to ask, where to look or how to get involved.

When she and John came to Sylvia's door in November 2021, a single question made the difference. "Are you staying warm?" Barb asked. From there, a community's kindness rushed in like an avalanche.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington Meals on Wheels volunteers 'Power of a Knock' award