BY JOHN BAILEY
Catawba County United Way
Being in a wheelchair hasn’t slowed Annie Fallin much.
The 76-year-old, also known as “Wheezy” among her friends, still creates stories to share with her grandkids and enjoys sharing time with her neighbors.
And every morning, Monday – Wednesday, she races down the hall at her retirement complex to meet the Meals on Wheels volunteer. Fallin is just one of almost 300 local seniors who look forward to that knock on the door.
Meals on Wheels is run through the Catawba County DSS Senior Nutrition Services and is also a Catawba County United Way (CCUW) funded program. For the CCUW, supporting a program like Meals on Wheels is a natural fit in its impact area of health, specifically healthy lifestyles for seniors.
In 2019, according to their end of year report to the United Way, Senior Nutrition Services served 1,187 seniors between its Meals on Wheels and Seniors Morning out programs which included 114,396 meals.
“When you realize that you’ve got a meal coming in you don’t sit and worry about what you’re going to do for lunch,” Fallin said. “It’s a blessing.”
The impact of the program is about more than a meal though. It’s about having a day you don’t spend alone, which is why Meals on Wheels is always in need of new volunteers to add to the number of seniors the program can serve. In Catawba County, there is an increasing need in the Maiden area.
“My chair allows me to get around pretty good, but there are some people I imagine that those volunteers are about the only visitors they get,” Fallin said. “If somebody wanted to give back to their community, Meals on Wheels is a very good way to do that. It’s got the Wheezy stamp of approval. It’s a good way to donate your time.”
She’s constantly telling everyone she can, to sign up for the program. Being a Meals on Wheels participant allowed Fallin to learn about other opportunities in the community. She’s been taking advantage of Greenway Public Transportation to help get out more and make trips to local stores.
“If you can’t get out anymore, you can’t drive anymore by all means take advantage of the services out there,” she said. “That’s why they’re there, to make our lives better.”
If you’d like to be a Meals on Wheels volunteer visit https://www.catawbacountync.gov/county-services/social-services/senior-… to fill out an application and learn more about the program.
In picture - Annie Fallin (left) looks forward to every visit from Meals on Wheels volunteers. She especially enjoys seeing Home Delivered Meals Coordinator Debbie Helton, who is always sharing information about other agencies and programs in the community that might help Fallin. Photo courtesy of Catawba County United Way.