Meals on wheels has saved my life.

“If you could see my calendar,” says Georgia, “you’d see I have appointments almost every day.” It’s been like that for months.

Last July, Georgia fell. One moment, she was hurrying to catch a taxi. The next, she tripped, falling hard on the unforgiving concrete of the New York City sidewalk.  “I had bloody knees, bloody hands,” she says.

She’s been going to physical therapy twice a week since, but she still can’t move two of the fingers on her left hand. The 85-year-old didn’t break anything, though. “I have strong country bones,” she says with a laugh.

Georgia is originally from Texarkana, Texas. She moved to New York in 1968 with her then husband, who had dreams of becoming an actor. While the marriage didn’t last, Georgia’s love for the city has remained constant. She got a job as a case worker, going on to manage a welfare to work program in Brooklyn. Being active in her community has always been important to Georgia. Up until a few years ago, she was still attending protests, advocating for things like affordable housing. “That was my life,” she says.

Then Georgia had a stroke. During her recovery, she started to receive home-delivered meals. “Meals on wheels has saved my life,” she says, “because they didn’t want me to cook.” Specifically, using the stove. The stroke caused some memory loss, so Georgia could forget that it’s on.

But even if her memory wasn’t an issue, her recent injuries, along with the ever-worsening arthritis in her hands, make even simple meal prep impossible. “I can’t cook,” Georgia says. I can’t lift my big skillet. I can’t even lift the little one. I can’t chop vegetables.”

While she still occasionally visits the grocery store, the problem is getting her purchases back to her apartment. With her hands, there’s only so much she can carry. Georgia’s grateful she can rely on meal deliveries twice a week. “It’s a great relief,” she says. And the food is good too. “I like that I get green vegetables,” she says. “And I like their rice. I have rice with so many of my meals.”

“I was a big cook,” she says. “I wish I could.” She misses being able to prepare a huge holiday spread for her friends and family, especially her daughter.

When Georgia was 45 years old, though she was single, she decided she wanted to be a mother. She had her daughter with the help of IVF — something that wasn’t nearly as common as it is today. But as Georgia puts it: “There have always been women who raised children alone.” She sees her daughter, who still lives in the city, often.

According to Georgia, having people around you is essential, especially as you age. When asked if she has advice about getting older, she says, “I think that you should make some friends and keep some friends.” Also: “Don’t run. Don’t be running on New York sidewalks.”