A Vietnam veteran, Art Russing has been fighting an uphill battle for the past three years against leukemia.
His wife and caregiver, Mary, has her own health struggles, including congestive heart failure.
For this Poplar Bluff, Mo., couple and almost 400 other residents, the hot and healthy meal delivered each weekday by Northside Nutrition means a lot.
"It helps tremendously," Mary said Wednesday from their Main Street home, as she talked with Northside driver Derrick Miller about the couple's latest problems with medical providers.
It can be difficult to cook, explained Mary, who has trouble standing for long periods of time.
It's a common worry for many of those on the home bound routes, said Northside administrator Tammy Kassinger.
Home bound meal delivery for the facility has grown by more than 60 percent since 2007, according to a comparison of the current routes and information provided by previous administrators.
The facility relocated nearly a year ago from its home on Garfield Street to a kitchen and dining room at the Twin Towers on Hazel Street.
The center retained its name and its home bound routes, but is still adjusting to the changes this has meant financially, according to Kassinger.
Northside absorbed the Twin Towers customer base, while operating off a budget created for its original site.
Northside is providing about 2,000 more meals per month, she said.
Costs have gone from approximately $300,000 a year to about $370,000 a year, she estimates. Kassinger said county and state funding agencies have recently begun providing an extra $5,000 a month to the budget, but it still falls short at times.
The funding issues remain an internal problem and have not been passed on to the clientèle, who dined on chicken Parmesan, vegetables and fruit Wednesday.
Every meal is designed with a nutritionist to meet standards set for diabetics, Kassinger said.
Marjorie Matthews, 75, believes the meals have helped both her and her 53-year-old disabled daughter. The pair ate processed food higher in sugar and salt when they made their meals.
"I'm in a lot better health and so is my daughter," Matthews said.
Northside also has found the meal they deliver at lunch is the only food some seniors were receiving.
One elderly woman was dividing her noon meal into thirds, to stretch it out for a full day, drivers discovered.
As the Miller's delivery van traveled to the home of an 81-year-old man just off Main Street, Kassinger said, "We are the only person he sees and the only meal he gets, I guarantee you."
The drivers' work extends beyond the delivery of a lunch meal, she said. They also check in on residents who have no other contact and can help put seniors in touch with additional resources.
For some, this means extra food through donations or senior boxes, a federal program that provides commodity foods like rice and beans.
"It kind of breaks your heart a little bit," Miller said, as he was greeted at another stop by a client.
Many of those on his route are waiting outside by the time he pulls up, with a smile and a few jokes.
Kathleen Micou, 72, was accompanied by her small dog, Patches, when she greeted Miller. Micou doesn't drive often and is awaiting medical tests for a shoulder problem.
The meals are a big help, according to Micou, who began receiving them after her mobility was limited by health problems.
While Northside is still adjusting to its move, Kassinger believes it is better able now to serve all of its clients.
"Our building was over 40 years old. The equipment was that age. It was a matter of time before equipment failure shut us down," she said.
Before the move, Northside also had the highest rate of increase seen in the prior year of the 32 centers overseen by Aging Matters in Southeast Missouri.
Drivers travel about 160 miles per day delivering meals, with the oldest recipient 102 years old.
The center provides more than 84,000 meals a year to seniors and the disabled.