Rotarians save senior meal program

LEE'S SUMMIT. Mo. - The church kitchen assembly line springs to life Monday through Friday, packing up about 100 hot meals a day for shut-in citizens of Lee’s Summit.

One Good Meal is a program that delivers exactly that, thanks to what director Roberta McArthur describes as "the best volunteers in the world." They've been at it for 18 years.

Why do it?

"You would understand if you ever went on a delivery," she said.

They say they're doing more than just making meals, they're making connections. Terry Hubbard is a volunteer.

"It feels real good, when you're retired like me … you know ... I could be sitting home watching the Price is Right. But I think that my time's being used a lot better," he said.

Their clients might otherwise skip meals and the nutrition helps keep them healthy, along with assuring medicines designed to work with a full stomach can do their job. It also is a chance to check up on the clients daily, which is reassuring to their families.

"I have families that will continue visiting with people long after they've moved into assisted living," McArthur said.

With kitchen and storage space donated by Martin Luther Lutheran Church, the program seemed to be doing pretty well. But  five years ago, they discovered they were in trouble.

"At that point in time we were so far in debt, that there was no light, we were in a tunnel and there was no light," McArthur remembered.

The local Rotary Club came to the rescue, but demanded they come up with a business plan and a budget, which ended up turning things around.

The "One Good Meal" program has several fundraisers scheduled for this spring. The rotary event is February second.