Mobile Meals Knoxville 2025 Update

By Kari K.

I'm walking down the hall of the apartment complex with a bag full of hot food. It's breakfast day—omelets and sausage—and it's usually a favorite of the clients. When Mary answers the door, she's pleased to see me. Even though most routes have dedicated drivers, I'm a substitute, so I fill in when the regulars can't make it. I'm never sure when I'll get to see Mary again, and it's always exciting when I'm assigned to her route. Mary was one of my first clients, and at this point we have inside jokes about my sun hat and her collection of cute robes. I know that she gives her neighbor (also a client) her helping of carrots when they show up on the menu because she isn't a fan.

(You won't actually drive a semi-truck)

I've been working with Mobile Meals since 2022. Mobile Meals is a member of the national Meals on Wheels program and serves hot meals to nearly 1200 isolated seniors in Knox County every weekday. It's one of the first ways I got out of the house after COVID. We masked up and got our vaccines to protect our vulnerable clients. The most vulnerable would still set coolers out where we would place cold meals they could later warm up themselves—a holdover from the worst of the pandemic spread.

I was nervous to get out of the house, but I knew it was important for isolated seniors—two-thirds of whom live alone and credit Mobile Meals with being able to continue to live independently at home—to experience that human connection. It was important for me, too, after two years of feeling disconnected to the people around me. My friendship with Mary, and all the other regulars I see on my routes, is vital to my mental health. In an increasingly virtual world, I am allowed a chance to be a tangible part of my community.

Food insecurity is more prominent than ever, especially among the oft-forgotten aging element of our communities, but each client has differing needs. For some, the security of a hot meal is most important, but for others, it's the chance to converse with somebody, or to have someone check in on them to make sure they're doing okay. We also deliver Thanksgiving dinners, crafts from local schoolchildren, Christmas presents and cards, flowers for Valentine's Day—a reminder that there are people thinking about them.

Since COVID, we've seen many more studies being done on the effects of social isolation on individuals and communities. Mobile Meals has been around for decades, and the organization adapts to the changing needs. Right now, we are trying to figure out how to serve a rapidly increasing clientele while the 50% of our funding which comes from government grants has become unstable and our food partners see their own capacity slashed as grocery costs rise. Right now, we need people willing to fight global problems on a local level, and that's exactly what Mobile Meals does. It's what Mary and I do for each other, every time I see her.

You can volunteer to deliver a route with Mobile Meals as often as you like. The training takes just thirty minutes, and each route takes about 2-3 hours of your time. Some people do it once a week, or once a month, or are just on call during high need times. We are also collecting items for our holiday gift drive--you can see more of what we need in our newsletter. And as always, monetary donations are especially crucial right now. Please feel free to catch me at any time if you have any questions; I am always happy to chat about this amazing program.