“It’s been a journey.” 

That’s how 75-year-old Ruby Youngblood describes her life. Born in Columbus, Ga., Ruby, her only brother, and their mother found themselves in Savannah, Ga. when her parents split up. The family first lived on the eastside, then in an apartment in Hitch Village, and finally in a house on West 42nd Street. Savannah has been home ever since 1961.

“I went to Sol Johnson High School and then took classes at Savannah State University, where I worked as a secretary in the math and physics department,” Ms. Ruby remembers. “But I dropped out once I got a job at Union Camp.”

Ms. Ruby not only worked at Union Camp; she integrated the accounting office when she was just 19 years old. Union Camp Corporation was an American pulp and paper company and a private owner of timberland in the United States. The company had an extensive pulp, paper, and packaging operations site near Savannah before being purchased by International Paper in 1999.

“Well, I was a hard worker and got my job done,” Ms. Ruby says, when asked if she encountered any adversity. “It also didn’t hurt that I got along with everybody and had a bubbly personality.”

Between that personality and her smile, Ms. Ruby soon married and had two children: a daughter in 1970 and a son in 1974. Her first husband wanted her to stay at home with the children, so she gave up the Union Camp job and raised her family on East 35th Street. Her first marriage ended in divorce, and she remarried and divorced again. These days, the grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of a four-year-old girl says she is enjoying life and refuses to settle. 

That being said, aging has its own set of challenges.

“I’ve got diabetes and neuropathy,” says Ms. Ruby. “I love music, and I used to be a dancer, but now it hurts to walk without something for support, and that’s frustrating.”

In spite of the frustrations, Ms. Ruby – who’s also an evangelist – still finds joy in the journey.

“I love food and I love people,” she says, beaming widely. “For 16 years, I ran a food program out of my church – Little Prayer Mission Church of God in Christ – where we would distribute boxes of food and devotionals every third Monday.”

It was from a volunteer there – a Meals on Wheels cook – that she learned about the program administered by Senior Citizens, Inc. that provides both meals and wellness checks for older adults. After three eye surgeries impaired her ability to cook, Ms. Ruby applied and was approved in 2012. She now has three hot meals and two frozen meals delivered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Her favorite meal is the spaghetti with garlic bread knots. 

“Having Meals on Wheels means I can depend on having nutritious meals and nice people to bring the meals. I have someone to connect with, talk to, and depend on,” she says. “It means I don’t have to worry.”