Nutrition Center offers it all: Good meals, social setting

Angie Cole, lead cook for the Hannibal Nutrition Center, cooks up a batch of fried chicken in preparation for a Thursday lunch at the Hannibal Nutrition Center. The center may serve 250 fried chicken meals on any given Thursday. Contributed photo.

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

Long before the first meal of the day is served at the Hannibal Nutrition Center, or packed for home delivery, Angie Cole, the lead cook, arrives on site at Tenth and Church to begin food preparation.

She unlocks the door to the building - historically the former location of a grocery store and later a mechanic shop - as early as 4:30 a.m. Once inside, she sees to it that all the elements for a nutritious meal are assembled and prepped, in order to ensure that when lunch-time comes around, hot meals are ready to serve.

This is a daunting task, repeated five days a week, in order to have meals available to those needing - or wanting - a nutritious mid-day meal. 

Four days a week regulars and newcomers alike gather midday at the center at 219 S. Tenth for a hot meal and socialization.

And five days a week, meals are prepped on site and delivered to those unable to visit the center, whether it be for physical or transportation limitations.

For in-building dining, there are no age or income restrictions; all are welcome. The suggested donation is $5 for those 60 and over. For the younger folk, the suggested donation is $7.

“We ask they contribute what they can afford,” said Margee Tucker, the Hannibal Nutrition Center’s executive director.

“We serve over 120,000 meals a year, in home and in the center, together,” Margee said.

In order to make the meals happen, she is reliant upon the lead cook.

“Angie Cole is the driving force behind the entire kitchen,” said Tucker, “Without her we don’t have anything.”

Angie Cole’s association with the center goes back many years.

“She worked at Wendy’s,” Margee said. “My sister, Jennifer Welch, (who is now the center’s fiscal manager) had a day care, and Angie’s kids went to my sister’s day care.”

Angie was invited to come to work at the center, and has remained there for 26 years. “Now her kids have kids,” Margee said.

Gathering spot

The seating arrangement at the center consists of round tables encircled by chairs, allowing for easy conversations among the diners.

“They see their friends - friends they haven’t seen in years. ‘Hey, Bob,’ … it is so welcoming. Like Cheers. That’s what we’re primarily here for, socialization is so important,” Margee said.

Diners arrive early in order to secure “the best” tables, and to save places for their friends.

“We have a lot of clients who come four days week,” Margee said. "Anywhere from 80 to 100” Monday through Wednesday. “On Thursday, we can serve up to 250, in the center.”

There are specific reasons that the Thursday numbers are higher.

First, Thursday is fried chicken day. “Everybody loves the fried chicken,” Margee said. “We buy fresh chicken from Kohl Wholesale, and Angie breads and fries all of it.  We buy an eight-piece chicken.”

Second, Bingo follows the meal on Thursdays. “We had 100 stay for bingo last week,” Margee said.

Home delivery

While some of the drivers work on a volunteer basis, others are paid employees.

“They travel 300 miles a day delivering meals. We have so many people” receiving home-delivered meals, “we would never be able to find enough volunteers,” Margee said.

The center employs 20 people, including drivers. “Most everybody is part time,” Margee said, with the exception of “a few of the office people and the lead cook.”

Second generation

Margee and her sister, Jennifer (Jenni ) Welch, are second generation at the center. Their mother, Debbie Scholes Catlett (1954-2019), was the primary behind the establishment of the center, as it stands today.

“We (first worked at the center) because it was our mom’s dream. Mom drilled it into us, so her dream became ours. We got into it at a really young age and we stuck with it.

“She instilled in us a love for seniors; it just stays with you. If you no longer have compassion for them, you know you should probably get out of it.”

Open to all

Not everyone who dines at the Nutrition Center is a senior citizen. “Some are business people going through for a quick lunch,” she said. “It is great food with great friends. That’s what brings them back day after day.

“We have a huge demographic,” she said, “from the poorest homeless, to those who have a ton of money. We also serve the entire gambit” in age, “a lady is getting ready to turn 101.”

Home delivered

The theory behind the home-delivered meals “is to keep seniors in their home where they want to be, until the end,” Margee said.

“Our drivers go there five days a week. They know those clients. If (the clients) don’t answer the door, or if they are acting odd, (the drivers) will call the family. They have found people on the floor, or with sugar problems. We call families when there is a dire situation.

“On Friday, in addition to the regular meal, we deliver frozen meals prepared on site for the weekend, usually a meat, a potato and a vegetable, dessert. We deliver a quart of milk on Monday.”

A server at the Hannibal Nutrition Center, Melissa Halsey, dishes up a plate of fried chicken with baked potato in late June, 2025. Fried chicken is served on Thursdays at the center, which is located at 219 S. Tenth. Photo/Mary Lou Montgomery