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The dynamic duo of Howard and Mary McKinley, both in their 80s, could teach the younger volunteers at Meals on Wheels a thing or two about delivering.
After more than 25 years of service to MOW, these two super heroes have developed a system: Howard drives; a Styrofoam cooler containing the cold meals rides shotgun. Mary sits in the back with another cooler full of hot trays. When they reach a meal recipient's house, Howard tosses a sack meal back to Mary, who grabs a hot tray and goes to the client's door.
“Many days, we can deliver our route in about 45 minutes,” Mary said. It takes a bit longer, she admitted, to visit with the clients.
Over the years the McKinleys have met many colorful people on their routes, and have been on hand for some big MOW milestones, including former Indiana First Lady Judy O'Bannon's delivery of the four-millionth meal to Tillie Phillips, and Mayor Bart Peterson's delivery of the five-millionth meal to Herbert Woodruff.
The McKinleys work closely with another longtime MOW volunteer, Ray Hale, to provide “backup” to one another in case of a conflict on delivery day, which for Hale is on Wednesdays and the McKinleys is every Friday. “We plan everything around Friday,” Howard said. They even bought a car specifically to use for delivering their north-side routes, and are undeterred by recent high gasoline prices.
The couple, who is looking forward to their 65th wedding anniversary in November, met at a bank in Muncie before Howard volunteered for the Army Air Corps. Howard spent his 4-½ year tour-of-duty at the U.S. Army Personnel Records Center in St. Louis (now the U.S. Military Personnel Records Center) doing machine records work. “I never saw an airplane,” he said.
Mary, who was busy raising the couple's two children and volunteering at the PTA, Northminster Presbyterian Church and as president of Sunnyside Guild (for the care of tuberculosis patients), began delivering meals with her friend Betty Fiete in 1979.
Howard became the head of the Trust Department at Merchant's National Bank and Trust (now National City Bank). He was president of North Indianapolis Kiwanis Club, a member of the Society of Retired Executives and volunteer for Methodist Hospital . Howard joined his wife delivering meals in the early 1980s, and served for two years on the MOW Board of Directors.
Their granddaughter Elizabeth often accompanies them on their routes, learning their system of transferring food to the Styrofoam coolers and putting the meals in plastic grocery sacks so they're easier to hand to the clients.
When the McKinleys contemplate the changes over the years, there's one thing they point to that's never changed: the main focus of Meals on Wheels is the clients. Howard said, “The problem is, you get attached to these people, and most of them are old, just like we are.”
Mary added, “It's very rewarding to see how much it is appreciated. How much the clients appreciate knowing somebody's coming.”
For further details, please contact us at 317.633.6325, or by e-mail at info@mealsonwheelsindy.org.
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Diamond Chain Company
Charles Poindexter
National Wine & Spirits
Liz Browning
Roche Diagnostics
Servants of Christ Lutheran Church
Safeco Insurance Company
Howard & Mary McKinley
Robert Palmer
Marilyn Carroll
Regions Bank
Ray Hale
Don & Shirley Wendling
Jane & Joan King
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