Meet Roberta McArthur

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Roberta McArthur.

Hi Roberta, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our mission is very clear: we serve the elderly and homebound in Lee’s Summit and Greenwood one good meal a day. One Good Meal started in 1994. We Delivered lunch to 5 women and proved to ourselves that One Good Meal made such a difference in their everyday health and wellness.

We became a legal entity and got 501(c)3 status on July 5th, 1995.

An important part of what we do is the 5-10 minute visit with our daily lunch delivery. We get to know our clients, can quickly identify if something is off, and contact their caregivers to get them the help they need much faster. Additionally, we have 12 members of the community volunteering to drive around town to deliver meals. Because of this, these members are more aware of what is happening in their city.

Today, we deliver to over 140 elderly and homebound in the Lee’s Summit and Greenwood Area five days a week. Every year on Thanksgiving, we deliver to anyone who would like a traditional Thanksgiving Meal, Complements of One Good Meal, to your door.

The hardest part of what we do is seeing people in great need and sometimes having to say no.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The hardest part in the beginning was convincing the community that there was a need for it.

In the early years, I delivered to people who lived in their cars because they had no address. Unfortunately, I discovered that canned cat food is more nutritious than canned dog food. I also discovered four unique ways to get into a home if there was a great need. I have taken wound dressing and CPR courses because our clients have needed that help.

I have been pushed into the position of offering advice and counseling to caregivers who couldn’t figure out their seniors. After all that has been done, the bottom line is finding the money so I never have to say no.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have an Associate’s Degree in Electronics. I worked as an Administrative Assistant for a Wide Area Networking Company, and I learned to work with diverse groups of people and cultures.

The counseling portion of what I do is based on my strong Christianity and my belief in diverse people. I love to read! From fiction to nonfiction, reading is a great way to learn about people.

I am most proud of the longevity of One Good Meal. 2025 is our 30th Anniversary. When we started, we were told we weren’t going to last. We were too similar to Meals on Wheels. Now we complement each other and work very well together. We also contribute to Lee’s Summit Social Services, Langsford House for Boys and Coldwater. All to make our community stronger.

I am also proud that One Good Meal has a 7% operating budget. It has been a large joke at our board meetings that we are the best-kept secret in Lee’s Summit because we work behind the scenes. Everything we do is without a brick-and-mortar presence or any paid employees.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I was raised in Lee’s Summit, and they took care of me during my hardships. I am proud to be giving back to the place that helped me. Watching the city support each other to make it stronger and better is amazing because Downtown Lee’s Summit never died.

We went from a small city to a really big one! We cover it with 12 delivery routes each day. It is a beautiful, friendly, and wonderful place. I guess you could call it home. It was unbelievable to meet the personalities who chose Lee’s Summit as their home: the authors, athletes, etc. It continues to amaze me that they chose the same hometown to live in as me.

I don’t like the homeless villages. I don’t like the potholes. I don’t like that some turn the other way when the problem is too hard to solve.

Pricing:

• $4.50 is the cost of a meal if clients can afford it.
• Our Scholarship program allows the client to eat for a month and just make a donation. If there is no donation, next month, we start all over again.
• $22.50 per week/ $90 a month to sponsor someone’s lunch.
• Many seniors fear running out of money because they had no idea they would live this long, which makes it difficult for them to pay their bills. Rather than nag them, we put them on a scholarship.
• Currently, 37% of clients pay for their meals. The remaining meals are paid for with aggressive grants and fundraisers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.onegoodmeal.org