91原创

by Robyn Roste/Special to 91原创 Advance Times

Life in a pandemic has increased the general public鈥檚 awareness and use of meal delivery services, but for 91原创 Meals on Wheels Services Society, delivering fresh, nutritious, and affordable meals has always been a central service.

Christmas is no exception.

The team will be out delivering meals throughout the holiday, brighten the season for many this year, said Shannon Woykin, the meals on wheels鈥� executive director.

For some who are housebound, these friendly volunteer delivery drivers may be the only face they see this Christmas, she explained. But there鈥檚 a bonus.

In addition to the meals being dropped this weekend, they鈥檙e also delivering some Christmas gifts presented from a number of different sources, Woykin said.

London Drugs is donating bags for seniors, local quilters donated handmade placemats, a local hockey team (supported by Funny Farm) donated cups filled with treats, and the 91原创 Seniors Village made up and donated 25 shoeboxes for the most at-need clients.

鈥淭he amount of gifts is just overwhelming 鈥� the community feels that they don鈥檛 want the seniors to go without,鈥� she said.

Since 1979, this local not-for-profit organization has served residents of 91原创 City, 91原创 Township, and Aldergrove with affordable menu plans and social meal programs.

In 2018, they expanded their programming after discovering a gap for high-needs patients who live alone. After being discharged from hospital, these patients return home without adequate support. As a result, they often struggled to recover.

The charity鈥檚 Home from the Hospital program provides patients with complimentary hot meals for five days.

鈥淲e realized we could make a big impact for those leaving the hospital alone. We deliver a meal, a smile, and a safety check-in鈥� said Woykin.

鈥淧eople are often reluctant and wonder if they can afford meal delivery, so we eliminate that. We just need a referral the day they鈥檙e being discharged and their address, and we鈥檙e there.鈥�

Woykin remembers delivering meals to a local veteran who was in and out of the hospital every month and wasn鈥檛 cooking for himself.

His family lived in Chilliwack and was exhausted, so the Home from the Hospital program was a much-needed support. Through donations they were able to continue past the five days.

鈥淗is whole demeanour changed. At first he would only be in a housecoat, but later he鈥檇 be fully dressed and waiting at the door for us,鈥� she recounted. 鈥淗e sent a card letting us know he hadn鈥檛 been in the hospital for a year since the service.鈥�

There are dozens and dozens of similarly uplifting stories to come from the charity.

During the past two years, 91原创 Meals on Wheels has seen an influx of clients, and despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, running a lean operation and relying on irregular donations and government grants, they have not had to turn anyone away.

鈥淭his year, we onboarded about 500 clients,鈥� said Woykin, who credits this accomplishment to their dedicated staff members and large volunteer network.

鈥淲e鈥檙e there short term, long term, and most of the time. We鈥檙e happy when we鈥檙e short term because that means they鈥檙e well enough to cook for themselves,鈥� she added.

The majority of deliveries are handled by volunteers who provide about hot meals Mondays to Fridays, with frozen food for the weekend. They are currently delivering about 800 meals a week.

In addition to delivering food, the volunteers are a familiar, consistent, face-to-face connection for clients who may not have many visitors or opportunities to leave the house.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a social connection also, because the volunteers see the clients once a week and stay on the same routes. Often they鈥檙e the first to detect deterioration or health issues and put the staff on reaching the person鈥檚 emergency contact,鈥� said Woykin.

At meals on wheels, the clients are the 鈥渢op priority鈥� and the subsidy programs allow them to provide an affordable service for those in need, she added, noting the organization doesn鈥檛 want financial hardship to be the reason someone doesn鈥檛 eat or have access to food.

They want their services to be available for everyone who requires it, Woykin said.

During the holiday giving season, donating towards the various programs meals on wheels operate will help them continue providing hot meals to at-risk community members. And for those who want to get involved, meals on wheels is in need of more drivers to take on routes, especially when the Aldergrove Community Station House reopens in 2022.

RELATED: Find a little bit of everything at Aldergrove鈥檚 new hub

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to need an army once we open the [new] building,鈥� Woykin said. 鈥淭he routes are getting so big and long, and we鈥檇 like to shorten them. This gives the volunteer more time to talk with clients, and a shorter distance for the food to travel so it stays hot.鈥�

To learn more, people can visit lmow.ca, call 604-533-1679, or find them on Facebook at 91原创 Meals on Wheels Services Society.

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