Bobby King’s grandmother, who raised him, taught him  “to always help, no matter what.” And that’s what he’s trying to do now, though as a teenager he drifted away from that conviction for a while. He said that while living with other relatives in New York and elsewhere, he made some bad choices, including giving up on religion. Now he’s got his life back on track is driving two routes for Meals on Wheels and would like to do more.

Life’s lessons, however hard, have helped him, he said.  New York was both exciting and instructive, broadening his world in every way.  Driving a taxi was an education itself, he said. “I had the opportunity to meet every kind of person you can think of, to see every phase of life and lifestyle.”

He worked at other jobs and took some psychology courses at Baruch College. Back in North Carolina, he found himself drifting again… then got a degree in graphic design at Forsyth Tech. He also began to read Scripture and other books to find a spiritual path.  “I ran from religion,” he said, because “my concept was that living a Christian life meant you had to be almost perfect.”  His reading showed him otherwise: “Perfection doesn’t exist…God would use me right where I was.”

In 1989, he joined Winston-Salem First (Assembly) and “accepted the Lord in my life.”   And the desire to help others returned in full force.  His grandmother, Rosie Reynolds, who died two years ago at age 100, had been right. He started small, helping folks with home repairs they couldn’t afford, and then he discovered Senior Services.  “I value what they do, and how they serve the county’s seniors in an extremely valuable way.”

Bobby married his wife, Brenda, 15 years ago; they each had two sons (one of his died young of sickle cell disease).  He’s looking forward to retirement next April from ABF Freight System, where he operates a forklift loading and unloading trucks. His second-shift schedule leaves his mornings open for Meals on Wheels, on routes that take him out Clemmonsville Road and in the Easton area. Many of the people he sees have few or no family members to visit them, “so they’re excited to see me coming. In that moment, I can feel the joy and gratitude.  I‘m fully aware, every day, that I am blessed.”

His philosophy of life has become: “It’s not rocket science.  Love your neighbor and be kind to each other.  People are just people, and we all have to have human contact.”

Written by: Jo Dawson, Volunteer Writer