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Since 2005, Mobile Meals, based at Unity United Methodist Church, has provided hot meal delivery for up to 80 individuals who live in the southwest corner of Rowan County and over into Cabarrus and Iredell counties.

Through the generosity and volunteerism of the members of Unity United Methodist Church, St. Enoch Lutheran Church, and others, Mobile Meals has delivered meals each weekday for 19 years. Lois Simmons and a helper served as the kitchen team. Most recently, the helper was Jordan Holt, Lois’ granddaughter. 

The Health Committee at Unity United Methodist Church administered the Mobile Meals program. Allison Smith was the latest committee chair, but Smith said that over the years, many different members of the church participated on the Health Committee. Even though generous congregations from St. Enoch Lutheran Church, West Corinth Baptist Church, and Prospect Presbyterian Church sent donations to support the mission, it became more and more challenging to fund the program entirely. As food costs rose and it became more difficult to cook and serve 60-80 meals, Mobile Meals contacted Meals on Wheels Rowan to discuss the possibilities of merging with their program. Rowan brought the program director, Holly Teeter, and the volunteer director, Sandy Combs, into the conversation.

Mobile Meals provided all its meals free of charge to their clients. Meals on Wheels does provide 35 percent of its meals free of charge to those in need, but they also use a sliding scale where clients pay from $2-$9 per meal. Meals on Wheels Rowan talked with a few foundation representatives who said they could assist with funding and offered to provide all meals for Rowan County clients for free for the program’s first six months. 

Cabarrus Meals on Wheels currently has a waiting list on several routes but was working with 10 individuals who live in Cabarrus County. Iredell County Meals on Wheels was working on adding one participant who Mobile Meals is serving.

Unfortunately, Unity United Methodist Church will be closing its doors, which significantly impacts the volunteers. Unity members are heartbroken at the thought of losing their church. Several volunteers said they needed a break but hated losing their church connection while merging the clients with nearby agencies. The volunteers are also connected to the clients. Volunteers keep in touch with clients on the routes they serve and often call participants to check on them.  

Kudos to the volunteers, committee members and cooks who prepared and delivered meals over the course of the 19 years of the Mobile Meals program. And thank you to the many folks who donated funds and food. Many of the local residents with summer gardens contributed tomatoes, cucumbers and many other vegetables. Lois Simmons is a master at making up a menu on the spot or cooking from the pantry to create a delicious meal. Mobile Meals was the perfect example of a small community seeing a need and coming together as volunteers and churches with a plan to meet that need. Mobile Meals was a true blessing in the southwestern Rowan community and in Cabarrus and Iredell counties.

After a lengthy discussion, the committee at Unity led by Smith felt confident in the ability and capacity of Meals on Wheels Rowan to absorb the most significant number of clients. The committee members felt good that clients would also be offered a Grocery Program and the AniMEALS program, which provided pet food and basic vet care for client’s pets. 

During the last two weeks of Mobile Meals delivery, both Combs and Teeter met with volunteers and thanked them for their service and Teeter helped deliver a route and met some of the clients.

Combs reached out to her contacts at Concordia Lutheran, which is located close to Unity United Methodist. Concordia agreed to be the pick-up site for volunteers in the southwestern corner of Rowan. Two routes will run out of Concordia every Monday through Friday: the Concordia Route, will utilize Concordia member volunteers daily under the leadership of Joe Allen, and the North Enochville route. Meals on Wheels Rowan hired a courier to help pack the meals at Mt. Zion United Church of Christ and deliver the insulated totes for each route to Concordia Lutheran Church. The courier will meet the volunteers and distribute the totes for the assigned routes. 

Teeter discovered that many Mobile Meals participants lived along the Meals on Wheels Rowan routes that wound through their East Kannapolis and Enochville routes. Not all of the Mobile Meals participants could be squeezed onto the existing routes, so Meals on Wheels created a Cannon route that basically travels Cannon Boulevard and delivers to folks on the east and west sides.

Volunteers are needed at both locations but are urgently needed at the Mt. Zion United Church of Christ pick-up location in China Grove. Volunteers pick up meals at 10 a.m., which takes about one hour to deliver. Individuals can volunteer once a month or more frequently. Meals on Wheels encourages volunteers to have a partner who is either the driver or “jumper.” (The jumper is the person who gets out of the car to deliver the meal to the client’s door.)

The care coordinators from Meals on Wheels Rowan have reached out to all of the Rowan County Clients and have met with all but three individuals. On Nov. 4, Meals on Wheels Rowan delivered their first meals to the former Mobile Meals clients. The meals delivered by Meals on Wheels Rowan are prepared by K&W Cafeteria in Concord. Clients are offered a choice of a traditional meal, diabetic meal or low-sodium meal. Meals can also be chopped or pureed for those with chewing or swallowing difficulties. For anyone ordering the traditional meal, there is always a substitute option for a meat or vegetable meal during the month.

Each Meals on Wheels does things a little differently. Cabarrus Meals on Wheels cooks in its own kitchen, while Iredell Meals on Wheels uses Trio out of Charlotte to prepare meals.