Meals on Wheels has been operating in our community for 52 years. The program, run in partnership with the city through Glen Stor Dun Lodge, provides approximately 120 hot meals daily as well as frozen meals (around 10,000 per year), all delivered by volunteers. Currently they are desperately in need of volunteers as demand skyrockets and increased volunteer shortages are expected over the winter.
“The pandemic was really hard on us. Most of our volunteers are retired people since we deliver during the day between 11am and 1pm. When the pandemic hit, we lost 60 volunteers right away, with more leaving after a while because of mandates, PPE requirements, and fear. Older people were told to stay home so that’s had a huge impact,” said Andree-Anne Morin, Meals on Wheels Coordinator, ” Essentially, we need 14 volunteers daily.”
Morin went on to say that despite high demand, they have been forced to cut routes and turn down requests for service because of volunteer shortages. With winter coming, they know if they don’t find volunteers soon, they are going to hit a critical point. Many of their volunteers are snowbirds who are planning longer stays abroad this year after travel restrictions have been lifted.
To keep up with demand, our local Meals on Wheels is looking for at least 50 volunteers. Volunteers can choose to do a route by themselves or be paired with another person (one to drive and one to deliver) for safety reasons.
Volunteers receive training and the program is very accommodating of people’s schedules. You can choose to volunteer daily, once a week or once a month, whatever works for you. Corporate and workplace volunteers are also encouraged, for those who want to give back to the community.
“I have been volunteering for 9 or 10 years now,” said Darlene Poliquin as she picked up bags for her route, “I moved here in 2012 and I either started that year or the year after. I enjoy it a lot because it doesn’t take that much of your time in the day. And clients appreciate it. ”
While some recipients of the program are long-term, others receive meals for just ten days after being released from the hospital to help with the healing process. Some choose to stay on the program because they see how much it helps them.
“During the pandemic seniors needed to stay home. A big component of our program is not just the meal delivery. It is, but its a security check as well, so its people checking in on those people every day and making sure they’re okay,” Morin explained, “Through our volunteers, we’re able to identify who requires more services and we can make referrals to other services. We can sometimes see people declining and we have contact with their families, so we can keep people informed about what is going on with their loved ones. It was really big for isolation as well, just seeing a face every day.”
If you are interested in becoming a Meal on Wheels volunteer, please call 613-933-3384 ext 4263 or go online at cornwall.ca/mealsonwheels to apply.
