The Door is Open (DIO) staff and volunteers were sad to hear of the passing of Eleanor Cook, a ‘retired’ long-time volunteer at DIO. Eleanor was a devoted volunteer at DIO. She was responsible for expanding our Wednesday Women’s Breakfast program beyond a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. Eleanor believed in the power of comfort food both in her personal life and volunteer life. Her children said she was so loved in her family for her coffee cake and mac and cheese. Here at DIO she was loved for her Cheez Whiz and toast. To this day, our women find comfort in their Cheez Whiz sandwich! Eleanor had amazing energy and every week she loaded her car with donations from the residents in her building. She loved putting together Christmas bags full of all the donations she lovingly collected over the year. Eleanor carried a clipboard with her at all times. The clipboard contained notes to herself, notes to her friends, clippings of sayings that inspired her, contacts in the community and her endless to-do lists. If you were lucky enough to receive a card from her, it always contained words of inspiration and kind words. Eleanor was able to connect with our guests on a very personal level and she believed the first step in doing that was to remember every guest’s name. That simple gesture made all our women feel seen and recognized. We thank Eleanor for the respect and love she gave our women.
(contributed by C. Giustra)
