Meals on Wheels fundraiser critical to charity

Some people have a real taste for banana pudding.

But would they pay $1,100 for a bowl of the sweet Southern-style dessert?

The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and last year’s Spinning Our Wheels for Meals confirmed that price point.  Twice, in fact.

Nancy Mayfield, executive director of Warren County Meals on Wheels, made the banana pudding that fetched $1,100 in spirited bidding in the auction that capped off an evening of great food and fellowship under the big top tent at the Bridgestone Learning Center last year.

The charity sale came down to two competing bidders when volunteer auctioneer Donald Hillis gaveled the sale to a finish.

However, the losing bidder wasn’t leaving with disappointment.  He agreed to pay another $1,100 for a second large bowl, about three pounds’ worth, if Mayfield would produce a duplicate product. 

She did, and the Meals on Wheels revenues were up by $2,200.

That funding boost was seriously needed by the locally based nonprofit that serves some 220 meals a week to elderly shut-ins, people with mobility problems and the economically distressed.    

For several years a large part of the Meals on Wheels (MoW) budget came from two sources—the Back to the Strip event and allocations from McMinnville City government.  Both of those revenue streams have dried up, and the program is in an all-out campaign to cover the loss.

“Meals on Wheels in Warren County is totally a local initiative, serving our local citizens and depending almost entirely on local financial support,” John Partin, chair of the MoW board of directors, emphasizes in a WCPI INSIGHTS conversation airing Saturday at 9 a.m.  

“In only three of the last 12 years did we close out the fiscal year with a positive balance, and in two of those years we got a lifeline in federal Covid relief money.  It’s critical that we offset the funding losses to maintain the dependable supply of food to our deserving clients,” Partin, the elected Public Defender for Tennessee’s 31^st Judicial District, stressed.

Spinning Our Wheels for Meals rolls out in its third annual edition this Tuesday, Sept. 22, under a huge tent erected and furnished by Bridgestone volunteers.   Doors open at 5:30, with dinner served at 6:00 pm.

Prater’s Barbecue is donating the main course for the meal for the second year in a row. 

A limited number of sponsored tables and individual seats were available early this week.  For the most current information, call the MoW office at 931  473-3514 or Mayfield at 931 607-2565.   The charity is an IRS registered 501c3 entity so that all donations are fully tax deductible. 

In its most recent financial report, MoW (officially, Warren County Home Delivery Meals) showed total expenses for 2025-26 at $320,015.57. with revues at $332,344.38.   The latter figure turned out to be nearly $83,000 above the budgeted estimate for income.

“We had our best year ever for client donations,” Mayfield wrote in her board’s official minutes.  

“Sometimes it’s 50 cents,” Dana Green, a longtime MoW volunteer and board member, shared in the WCPI interview.  She was referring to donations voluntary given by clients.  “That [amount] might be all they have,” she observed, but it reflects a spirit of gratitude from the clients.

In 2025-26, clients’ gifts topped the list of revenue sources at $32,313.79.  The Warren County Commission allocated $22,000 in taxpayer funds while local churches contributed $14,408.

Two other non-recurring donations--$20,000 from The Power of 100 and $15,000 from The Rotary Club of McMinnville—figured heavily in the positive fund balance for the year just ended.

Another funding mainstay is memorial donations, last year adding $28,368 to the cash inflows.  

In the WCPI program Partin underscores the social benefit of the memorial donations.   While families are mourning the passing of a loved one, they can easily create a living memorial by writing a check to Meals on Wheels.   Local funeral homes can facilitate the delivery of those gifts to the food charity, he notes.  

In estate planning, a bequest of money or property in a will is another option for those wishing to leave a legacy of compassion and support to their neighbors, Partin suggests.  

Make your Christmas gifts special

Christmas is three months away, but that’s not too early to be working on your gift list.

If you’re looking for a special gift for that special person, the charity auctions Tuesday evening could suggest some great possibilities.

The third annual Spinning Our Wheels, featuring a sit-down dinner and live and silent auctions directed by volunteer auctioneer Donald Hillis, will start at 6 p.m. at the Bridgestone Learning Center.   A limited number of individual seats at $100 each and a few tables were available for sponsorship early this week.  (931 473-3514)

“If you’re searching for gifts that are more personal and meaningful than mass-produced products from a large, anonymous corporation, the auction could be coming at just the right time,” said John Partin, chair of the Meals on Wheels (MoW) board of directors.

“Local woodcraftsmen Clarence Jones and Jason Bouldin are donating one-of-a-kind wood sculptures and decorative items.  We will also have unique paintings by local artists Donna Carr and Angela Davis.”

On the more practical side, businesses have donated auction items including a Yeti picnic cooler,  fire pit, hand tools and furniture, Partin noted.  

Among the perennial favorites at the fundraising auction will be desserts and other dishes prepared by the Meals on Wheels volunteers and staff.

All of the proceeds will go toward sustaining the daily Meals on Wheels food deliveries throughout the year.   Meals on Wheels is a registered IRS 501c3 nonprofit, meaning that all donations are fully tax deductible.   It also means that organization is accountable under federal tax law, with its periodic financial reports available online at IRS.gov.