Meals on Wheels of Kingsport celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sept. 23 with a dinner at First Presbyterian Church in Kingsport.
Attendees were treated to a delicious meal by Food City, music by HarpStrings and a special program.
The highlight of the evening was the celebration of the 2022 Mary Cunningham awards to cooks and drivers who have volunteered with Meals on Wheels for many years.
These individuals exemplify the same spirit of service to the organization as did Cunningham, and each received a plaque with their name and a photograph of Mary Cunningham.
This year’s awardees were Troy Bramlett, Lee Bockman, Pat Lett, Ed Oliver and Bunky Seay.
Meals on Wheels prepares and delivers meals every Monday through Friday from kitchens at First Presbyterian Church and Waverly Road Presbyterian Church. Each of these churches will also receive a plaque that contains the names of all Mary Cunningham award winners.
The dinner was the culmination of a year-long celebration for Meals on Wheels of Kingsport. The theme for the year was Celebrate, Connect, Contribute, and Meals on Wheels has hosted several events to celebrate with the community, connect with volunteers and recipients and enable interested individuals to contribute to the organization.
Early this year, Mayor Pat Shull presented proclamations at both First Presbyterian Church and Waverly Road Presbyterian Church thanking them for the support of the program. He also encouraged everyone in the greater Kingsport community to support Meals on Wheels humanitarian mission.
Volunteers were presented with t-shirts and aprons that were printed with the Meals on Wheels 50th anniversary logo as a thank you for all that they do. Meals on Wheels hosted two floats in the FunFest parade and held a first-ever car show that attracted nearly 300 cars.
Meals on Wheels of Kingsport began in 1972 as an outreach of Bethany Presbyterian Church. In the early days, meals were cooked in homes and delivered to about 20 people several days a week.
Over the last 50 years, the volunteer-driven, volunteer-led organization has grown into what it is today, an organization with over 500 volunteers that deliver meals every Monday through Friday to over 200 people in Kingsport.
These meals allow recipients the help they need to remain in their homes and live independently. Meals on Wheels of Kingsport is proud to be an agency of United Way of Greater Kingsport.
If you would like to volunteer with Meals on Wheels or make a monetary donation to the organization, please visit the website at www.mealsonwheelskingsport.org or call 423-247-4511.
