SPENCER — This year’s March for Meals was kicked off with a bang, as a Motel Soap benefit concert filled the Norvell Theater beyond seating capacity. 

The month-long initiative was started by the national Meals for Wheels office as a way to raise awareness for legislation that affected homebound citizens but Rowan’s office has taken it a step further, using the month to involve community leaders and attempt to dispel misconceptions about the nonprofit.

The Motel Soap benefit concert, which began in 2019, has been held at different times over the years. This year, the organization decided to have it in early March to help kick-off March, Marketing and Development Director Alexandra Fisher said.

“We had over 250 people there. I had people up in little alcoves, sitting on bar stools, had to pull up some other chairs. We were able to make it work. That was the first time we’d ever sold out, normally it’s anywhere front 190 to 200 people,” Fisher said.

Those 250 people brought in over $10,000 for the nonprofit, with a large amount of that money coming from increased ticket sales. Fisher said that the band actually donates the concert to the organization, so the only cost for the event was renting out the Norvell Theater for a night, meaning almost every dollar of the money raised will go towards feeding homebound Rowan County citizens.

During the month following the event, community leaders will deliver meals along the organization’s usual routes to get involved and understand what exactly Meals on Wheels does for the community. Fisher described elected officials, church leaders, student organizations and more that have participated in the event in the past or have confirmed their participation this year. 

Fisher pointed to a multitude of names that have participated in the past or are confirmed for this year including county commissioners Greg Edds, Craig Pierce and Judy Klusman; Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander; Salisbury Mayor Pro-Tem Tamara Sheffield; Spencer Mayor Jonathan Williams; and China Grove Mayor Rodney Phillips.
Fisher also said that the organization takes the month-long increased profile and reach to attempt to dispel some misconceptions about the organization’s programs. Some common misconceptions that she pointed to were that the food is free to all participants and that someone has to be destitute to receive the organization’s assistance. In reality, the organization feeds 300 people a day and the board of directors budgets for 110 of those meals to be free. The rest pay on a sliding scale of 20 to 80 percent of the meal costs based on their take-home income. 

There is also no requirement for someone to receive assistance other than being homebound.

“We serve people regardless of their income, whether they are living in the country club in a huge house or if they are living in poverty. We serve everybody and everybody receives the same meal, the only difference is just how much you pay for it,” Fisher said.

The organization serves everyone because the deliveries are not just about the food, they can also serve as wellness checks for the people who cannot leave their house.

“Just because you have a big house and you’re living comfortably doesn’t mean that you have the support you need. It is about the meal but it also is that safety check and people checking in on you, making sure that you’re okay. We’re able to provide that extra communication if they have children that are out of town or a caregiver that lives elsewhere,” Fisher said.

One of the purposes of March for Meals is increasing the outreach and capabilities of the organization. Anyone who would like to volunteer or assist the organization can contact Volunteer Director Sandy Combs at 704-633-0352 or scombs@mowrowan.org. Volunteer opportunities include delivering food along an hour-long route, assisting the grocery program by shopping for participants or various special programs that the organization holds intermittently.