A driver from the community center helped us design routes that didn’t waste fuel or leave anybody waiting outside in bad weather.

Maya began keeping records of meals and visits rather than just photographs of smiling faces.

“If we want this to last,” she said, “we have to know what we’re actually doing and what it costs.”

She was right.

We learned the difference between a moving story and a sustainable program.

Arthur’s gift was substantial, but not endless.

Instead of spending it as quickly as possible on grand gestures, we preserved a reserve and sought small local grants and regular volunteers.

Every plan had to survive the question: Who will still do this when Julian is too old to carry the bags?