ROCKPORT—Last night, after months of social campaigning, MCH Meals on Wheels learned that they were the top beneficiary of donations from the upcoming annual charity bash, Pop The Cause, run by Cellardoor Winery and Megunticook Market. All of the ticket proceeds for Pop The Cause, as well as private contributions, were pooled into a guaranteed contribution of $160,000 to four local nonprofits — UMCC (United Mid-Coast Charities), MCH Meals on Wheels, Hospitality House, and Coastal Opportunities. 

"The energy was great,” said Bettina Doulton, owner/operator of Cellardoor Winery. “The refocus was on community giving. The town of Rockport was wonderful and even Mother Nature helped us out a bit."

At the bash under a tent in Rockport, Doulton announced that MCH Meals on Wheels had the most votes to receive $100,000. The three remaining nonprofits didn’t go away empty-handed; each will receive $20,000.

Lee Karker, the executive director of MCH Meals on Wheels, said, “At first I was a little bit in shock. It took me a little while to take it in, but it was such a great feeling to learn we’d won. All of the volunteers who worked last night were beside themselves.”

All of the funds will benefit its Knox County program and $80,000 of the funds will go towards expansion of a new kitchen said Karker. “We have a major project to upgrade and expand our kitchen facilites at the Methodist Conference Home where the meals are prepared. That’s what we intend to do with the majority of it, while the other $20,000 will go toward operations.”

MCH Meals on Wheels delivers hot, nutritious meals to the doorstep of home-bound seniors over 60 who reside in Knox County.  Most of Meals on Wheels are done by volunteers with their own vehicles.

“What’s happened over the last three years is that we’ve seen a huge increase in demand from Meals on Wheels, between 25-30 percent, which means we’re sending out more meals every day and it’s just gotten to the point where we had to make the kitchen space easier for our staff and volunteers to work in,” he said.

Karker said the energy level was very high at the Pop For Change event. “You know, there were also a lot of people excited to see how much help the local nonprofits were getting. Because of the way they structured the event, it turned out a lot of volunteers months leading up to it. We got nearly 100 more volunteers, people we might not have otherwise reached if not for this event and many of those volunteers have told us they plan on continue work with us. It was a great community event. I think that’s one of the most lasting impacts this event will have,” he added, “and not just for us, but for the other nonprofits as well.”

On Saturday night, more than 500 people who volunteered at least four hours for one of the four nonprofits will be at a party in the tent.

For more information on MCH Meals on Wheels visit: mchinc.org

Pop The Cork has been recast into two events: Pop The Cause and its volunteer arm, Pop For Change. Presented by Megunticook Market and Cellardoor Winery, these events celebrate the spirit of giving back to our local community.  For more information visit: popforchange.com

Related story: Pop For Change throws official launch party Feb. 27