For the 25th consecutive year, Lubbock Meals on Wheels is enlisting the help of Sara Lee, The United Family, KAMC, and KLBK, for the “Feed a Friend – It’s as Easy as Pie” fundraiser. Through this partnership, over the past 24 years we have raised over $875,000 to help people remain at home, well fed, and independent.
The organization strongly relies on volunteers and donations from the community. Ellie Bartholomew has been volunteering every Monday for 35 years. With a past experience with nursing, she said she loves to visit with the clients while bringing them their food.
“The clients are interesting and they really are nice,” Bartholomew said. “They are appreciative and it’s a good thing, feeding people is important.”
One of her favorite clients, Donald Kelley is suffering from emphysema and restricted to a wheelchair. He said he is unable to get himself to the kitchen to make food, and relies solely on the help of his Meals on Wheels. Kelley said he especially looks forward to Mondays because he gets to see Ellie.
“You make my existence easier,” Kelley said. “This one meal a day sustains me.”
For the past 12 years, Bartholomew’s old nursing buddy, Donna Blackwood has accompanied her on her Monday rides. Bartholomew drives, and the two of them interchange going into homes. Blackwood said the two have a good time together.
“She’s the wheels,” Blackwood said.
World War II Veteran, Harold Douglas has two meals delivered to him. Known as ‘gunny’ to his friends, he said that things got tough a few years back when his wife got sick. Rather than going into a nursing home, Douglas said he is thankful to be able to stay in his house of 50 years.
“I never learned how to cook and when my wife got sick she couldn’t cook anymore either,” said Douglas. “When she passed away I still couldn’t cook so Meals On Wheels was a life saver for us.”
