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Meals on Wheels brings awareness through annual March for Meals day

April 1, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

For someone who is a senior and living alone, a visit from a Meals on Wheels volunteer can not only bring them a good meal, it’s a few minutes of socializing that can mean a lot to a person.

Caledon Meals on Wheels, which also serves Orangeville and surrounding area, participated in March for Meals on Friday, March 22, as part of a program to bring awareness to their services.

Several local dignitaries turned up for the event at the Lord Dufferin retirement residence including Dufferin-Caledon MP David Tilson, Orangeville Mayor Sandy Brown, and deputy mayor Andy Macintosh, and they went on a ride along program to help deliver meals. 

“We have three different types of services,” explained Christine Sevigny, executive director of Caledon Meals on Wheels. “We have our traditional meals on wheels which is the meal delivery, both hot and frozen. We also have our senior’s social and wellness programs which are group programs for seniors, and we also have our family visiting programs which is one-on-one visiting with seniors in their home. We operate out of Caledon but also operate some of our programs in Orangeville as well.”

Dufferin County Community Services shares the service area with Meals on Wheels providing hot meals on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and DCCS serving on Tuesday and Thursday.

“We’re a government-funded service so it’s part of the health care system,” Ms. Sevigny explained. “Our mandate is to help people with disabilities and seniors to stay in their homes as long as possible. We also have to fundraise on top of our government funding. Some people just need a little bit of support – a hot meal a few days a week or a hot meal every day, and other people just might need the group program so they stay active in the community and keep a good connection with friends.”

Having others join for the March for Meals is a way to keep the programs visible in the community.

“It’s a North America-wide celebration of Meals on Wheels agencies. There are Meals on Wheels across the world but we’re not connected, we’re all independent. We have an association so we know what everyone else is doing. The nice thing about Meals on Wheels across Ontario is that we’re all subsidized by the government so the cost of the food is a lot less than if you went through a private company who does that. Whether it’s frozen or hot, you’ll always get a better deal. It’s for seniors who are watching their income or who have to live on a modest income – that one reason Meals on Wheels is so important.”

People who require Meals on Wheels services usually are connected to the group and other help groups through local social service agencies.

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