Mobile Meals of Spartanburg celebrated 40th Anniversary

Mobile Meals of Spartanburg celebrated the 40th Anniversary

Mobile Meals of Spartanburg celebrated 40 years of service to Spartanburg on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. The 40th celebration recognized senior meal recipients, volunteers, donors and staff that make the ministry possible. The three events on October 3, 2017, captured the organization's humble beginnings in October 1977, with 15 volunteers to serve meals to 25 people throughout the day. In the ensuing 40 years, the ministry has continued to grow, with 150 volunteers helping to serve 1,500 recipients throughout Spartanburg County. All the years giving home-delivered meals with no government funding. This is an accomplishment because of the community of giving people and God's blessings. In 40 years of service, Mobile Meals of Spartanburg has:

• Residents have volunteered more than 4 million hours;
• Volunteers have driven more than 10.4 million miles;
• From October 1977 to December 2016, Mobile Meals has prepared more than 11 million home-delivered meals.

The 40th Anniversary celebration began with a prayer service, followed by a luncheon for 300 volunteer & supporters held at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Spartanburg. The day was topped off with a dinner at the Piedmont Club for supporters and two awards were presented; Mobile Meals presented two special awards;

1. The Jack Robinson Philanthropist of the Year Award was presented to Frederick (Fred) B. Dent and accepted at the dinner by his son, Rick. Mr. Dent was awarded this prestigious award because of his willingness to support Mobile Meals above and beyond. For many years he volunteered by delivering meals to recipients and did this until he was unable to deliver. He is a sharp 95-year-old southern gentleman and the only board member emeritus in 40 years. He has faithfully served two terms on the board and worked on several committees; Finance, Audit, and Investment Committees. He graciously supported this ministry anonymously and never seeks recognition. Mr. Dent’s compassion for feeding the recipients through Mobile Meals is unwavering. His daughter Diana McGraw and son Rick Dent continue to deliver meals.
2. The John Coleman Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to BB&T executive, Stan Parker. He began delivering meals to recipients over 20 years ago and continues to deliver meals today. Mr. Parker served two terms on the board and chaired for two years, he was here when we broke ground on our current facility, he chaired the Long Range Planning and served on the Finance Committees and the last two years he chaired the ICC Committee and helped raise nearly $400,000 in each of those two years. Mobile Meals is grateful for his support and volunteer hours. He is married to Vicky and has two beautiful daughters.
3. Jayne McQueen, President for 40 years was presented flowers and a gift of appreciation by the Board Chairman, Thomas Maguire on behalf of the Mobile Meals Board of Directors. Mr. Maguire stated "Jayne has been the "constant" for the organization for 40 years." The room filled with guests gave her a standing ovation and acknowledged her commitment to the organization.

Contact: Susan Spires, VP of Development at susan@mobile-meals.org or call 864-573-7684.