SALISBURY — Meals on Wheels Rowan moved into its newly renovated offices at 720 Grove Street in mid-July. The building, which had sat vacant for several years, was formerly known as Salisbury Children’s Clinic and most recently housed the Novant Hospice office.

Renovations began in August 2023. Graham Roofing installed a new roof on the building before Carrol Fisher Construction began work on the interior.

Architect Alex Bost, on the Carrol Fisher team, assisted with a few structural changes and designed the volunteer drive-thru addition. The design of the volunteer drive-through accommodates a new automatic six-foot front door that faces the parking lot.

The building, originally yellow brick, was built in the 1960s by Dr. Joe Corpening, the first pediatrician in Salisbury. The front door of the Children’s Clinic initially opened into a vaulted space that showcased brick walls with wood beams. As the practice grew, the vaulted space was used for additional wiring and HVAC lines, leading to a dropped ceiling. The dropped ceiling hid the original woodwork and skylights.

Over the years, two additions expanded the footprint of the space towards the rear of the lot and into the parking area. The additions meant more load-bearing walls; therefore, the building has a lot of brick walls. All the brick made it challenging to open up many spaces, so Alex Bost at Carrol Fisher Construction recommended removing only two walls. The renovation team, led by Ben Fisher, removed a portion of the exterior wall for the new 12-foot glass storefront and six-foot automatic door. They also removed a portion of the wall just inside and opposite the automatic door to give the entry a feeling of openness and let more light into the building.

The exterior wall on the Grove Street side became a wall of storefront windows and doors to capture the light coming into the building. The former entry area became a Board room with half-glass walls that allowed the light to carry into the middle of the building. On the rear of the building, Meals on Wheels replaced a large window in Dr. Tom Carlton’s former office with an insulated garage door. The garage door allows Meals on Wheels to receive donated pallets of shelf-stable foods that can be packed and provided for participants during inclement weather, which prevents deliveries. During a recent visit, Carlton, who had worked in the building for many years, commented that Meals on Wheels had not changed much except for the new entrance.

“The building is lighter and brighter and feels clean and fresh,” Carlton said. “I really like everything you did with it, and it looks like it will serve Meals on Wheels very well.”

As delivery volunteers picked up meals for participants for the first time at the new location, many asked for a tour. Several volunteers said they brought their children here for shots or wellness checks. Meals on Wheels Board President Kevin Pruitt said he came to the Salisbury Children’s Clinic when he was a child and remembered when the parking lot was gravel.

As with any project, there are a few things to finish up. The artwork for the volunteer reception area and hallways is due at the beginning of August, and the digital donor wall will be completed by Sept. 15.

Board Member Tracy Smith led the fund-raising effort for the Forever Home Project.

“We are so grateful for our donors,” Smith said. “We exceeded our goal of $965,000, which enabled us to complete the project with interior furnishings that were not included in our original goal. We did not get around to everyone on our list of prospects. If anyone in our community would still like to participate, we welcome your gift.”

Pruitt added, “Tracy raised over $1 million dollars in four months. She is amazing. We are so fortunate to have someone with her passion for Meals on Wheels on our board.”

Aside from individual donors, Meals on Wheels received gifts from Bradshaw Rogers Financial Partners Inc, F&M Bank, Caniche, Central Carolina Insurance, and Truist. Contributing foundations included the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation, Joe I. and Hester Sims Family Foundation, Novant Rowan Foundation, Leon Levine Foundation, Cannon Foundation and the Food Lion Feeds Foundation. All donors will be recognized on a digital donor board in the volunteer reception area.

The week of Sept. 23-27 will be the Celebration and Grand Opening Week for the new location. On Sept. 23, at 4 p.m., the Rowan County Chamber will hold a ribbon cutting at 720 Grove Street.

On Sept. 24, Meals on Wheels will provide the community with a thank-you gift. Meals on Wheels Rowan will offer a free workshop on Advocacy from 3-5 p.m. and then sponsor a free panel discussion on “Advocacy for Aging, Public Education and the Environment.”

The workshop and panel discussion will held in the Faith Center of St. John’s Lutheran Church located at 200 West Innes Street.

On Sept. 25, all Meals on Wheels volunteers will be invited to an open house and food truck lunch from the This Little Piggy BBQ Smokehouse between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The Meals on Wheels Board of Directors will host all donors and invited guests at a grand opening celebration and open house on Thursday, Sept. 26, from 4-7 p.m.

Finally, on Sept. 27, Meals on Wheels will feature a special picnic lunch for all Meals on Wheels non-profit partners from 11-2 p.m.