I am the husband of Nancy Armfield, who is currently the overall coordinator for Franklin Community Meals on Wheels. In the past, I was aware of what my wife was doing with this ministry, but except for being called on occasion to drive a route, I never truly becme a part of what was being accomplished. That all changed dramatically in the Spring of 2020 when the COVID pandemic hit.
The Meals on Wheels program was faced with a challenge that had never been considered before. How could we stop delivering meals to our recipients? How could we do this and protect our volunteers and neighbors from the virus? So many questions and not a lot of answers. Nancy and I prayed and we both got the same message loud and clear. This ministry had to continue no matter what. So began my journey that led me to becoming an invested member of this vital mission.
The church kitchen was closed, which meant we were not going to be able to cook hot meals for all our 115 recipients. What to do? Luckily, Mid Cumberland Meals on Wheels decided to deliver 5 frozen meals a week to 80 of our recipients who were registered with them. That left my wife and I with 35 meals to cook. For the next 15 months our home kitchen became the Meals on Wheels kitchen on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week. One of the nice things that happened to me is I learned how to cook and be comfortable in the kitchen.
What I really learned during that trying time was how dedicated the volunteers were to this mission. I watched, week after week, as they put themselves at risk delivering the meals to our recipients. They wore masks of course and used hand sanitizer, but no one knew at that time if this would truly protect them from this deadly virus. I could see God in their faces and in their actions. Not one of our volunteers contracted the virus from doing this work, and I still believe there were angels riding with them as they lovingly delivered meals to their neighbors in need.
Want to be part of this important mission? Do you feel God nudging you? I hope so, because I now know you will be blessed as you share God’s love with our neighbors.
~ Dan Armfield