By Deb Holland Meade, Meade County Times-Tribune

STURGIS--Lane Keil grabs a couple colorful pot holders, reaches in the oven and pulls out a pan of bubbly, cheesy, hashbrown casserole. She places it on a nearby counter and cuts it into 12 equal sections with her spatula as steam rises above the pan. The smell of the fresh baked concoction wafts through a nearby serving window into the dining area at the First United Methodist Church in Sturgis. Joan Peterson stands beside Keil at the ready with a piping-hot pan of homemade meatloaf. The two were among more than a dozen parishioners and community volunteers who served meals to 48 elderly and home-bound individuals during the week of the Sturgis motorcycle rally.   Photo above: Lane Keil, left, and Joan Peterson, right, prepare to serve up the entrees for the Meals on Wheels in the kitchen of the First United Methodist Church in Sturgis. Photo by Deb Holland, Meade County Times-Tribune staff.

This year, the 75th anniversary, drew record crowds and volunteers worried that it would be a nightmare to deliver the meals with so many people in town. But travel was a breeze for these folks who have learned to travel back roads to get where they need to during rally week. The meals are a change of pace from the weekly Meals on Wheels fare they get from the local senior citizen's center. The Methodists see the effort as a church service project.

"We decided a long time ago that we did not want to do like a pancake breakfast during the rally because we are located out of the stream of the traffic," said organizer Sue Chaplin.

When they found out that the senior citizens' center closed during rally week and suspended delivery of Meals on Wheels, church members decided to take up the duty.

"First we did it one day, then we did it three days and finally we said, 'Oh! we can do that for five days,'" Chaplin said.

Photo to the right: Sue Chaplin wrapped each meal container and made sure the correct amount of containers were loaded in each box. Photo by Deb Holland, Meade County Times-Tribune staff.

This year, officials with the Meals on Wheels program asked if the church could do the delivery for two weeks, but Chaplin said they declined saying that it would be difficult to commit volunteers for that period of time.

The group that puts out the meals operates like a well-oiled machine. The meals are prepared in the church's commercial kitchen which routinely gets a visit by the health inspector during rally week. Chaplin said the inspector looks to make sure foods are cooked to the correct temperature and that pans and utensils are washed in the proper manner.

Photo to the left: The completed meal with entree, dessert and a dinner roll. Photo by Deb Holland, Meade County Times-Tribune staff.

Each work day begins with prayer. Pastor Jenene Earl joins hands with others in a circle outside the kitchen and offers prayers both for those preparing the meals and those who would receive them. Then, the foods are lined-up along a counter in the church kitchen, and dished into closeable Styrofoam containers. Hot items have their own section. Desserts and a roll are placed in the other sections. The containers are closed, wrapped in a plastic bag then placed in a box that goes to a specific zone in town.

In addition to the meatloaf and hashbrown casserole, other menu items this year included chicken and rice, tater tot hotdish, ham with baked potato and swiss steak with farm-fresh corn off the cob. Desserts included fresh baked cookies, applesauce and pie.

"We try to make them homemade and as tasty as we can," Chaplin said. Nelda Brown, a staff member at the Sturgis Highrise apartment complex where about a dozen residents received Meals on Wheels from the Methodists, said the service was truly appreciated. "Everyone really seemed to enjoy them," she said.

Photo to the right: Pastor Jenene Earl joined hands with others in a circle outside the kitchen and offered prayers both for those preparing the meals and those who would receive them. Photo by Deb Holland, Meade County Times-Tribune staff.

On Friday, following delivery of the final meals, all those who volunteered enjoyed a potluck lunch. "We treat the people that have been working all week -- the drivers and the runners and the dishers and whomever," Chaplin said.