For more than 4 decades, MOW has been serving Montgomery County from various locations…most recently the Conroe and South County Community Centers. We are so grateful for their support because it allowed us to focus on serving even more seniors.
As our service capacity increased – nearly doubling in the last 5 years – we started to outgrow these spaces. It was time to find a larger home of our own with all operations under one roof.
Last year, we did just that by acquiring a building in Conroe with the help of Montgomery County Community Development. More on that acquisition here.
Moving into One Space
Admin staff quickly settled into the new MOW Headquarters. The kitchen, however, needed some modifications so Chef John and his team stayed in the South County kitchen.
Work to prepare the kitchen began, and the new walk-in fridge and freezer were installed last month! Thankfully, this critical project was already completed when we found out the parking lot surrounding the South County kitchen would be paved this week – meaning we wouldn’t have access to the space. So, it was time to move!
This was sooner than planned, logistically and emotionally. Before the move, we had hoped to:
- finish the renovations.
- have a South County Send Off for the hundreds of volunteers who have been a part of this space for decades.
- avoid moving while also navigating a global pandemic.
But life doesn’t always go as planned, and that’s okay. The important thing is – with a little more work – we will have a space that will allow the wheels to keep rolling!
The Logistics
Decked out in face masks, staff and family members stepped up to move everything out of South County and into the new space. Social distancing isn’t easy during a move, but they made it work! The health inspector even showed up in record time, giving the kitchen it’s stamp of approval to cook!
The focus then shifted to unpacking so the kitchen crew could get back to cooking meals for the following week. Thankfully, before the move started, Chef John and his team already had enough meals in the freezer for that first week’s delivery. These meals were delivered by staff, as part of our modified COVID-19 operations (more on that, and how you can help, here).
Now, the kitchen is up and running – and not a single meal delivery was missed! The kitchen crew is loving the extra space. For years, Chef John used a single 6 burner stove to cook meals for hundreds of homebound seniors each week. The new kitchen 6 times that! Imagine the possibilities.
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