Community Care Northumberland has kicked off its annual March For Meals awareness initiative with a Cobourg stop that is the first of a total of seven taking place across Northumberland County,
Each event is meant to promote the agency's Meals On Wheels program to the public, not only for the service it provides but also for the awareness that more volunteers are needed to deliver this much-needed program.
In fact, the Community Care press release noted, agencies across North America have chosen March as a time to celebrate the value of Meals On Wheels programs that provide access to balanced and affordable meals that are a keystone to independence for vulnerable populations, such as isolated seniors or individuals with disabilities.
In Cobourg, Mayor John Henderson, Deputy Mayor Suzanne Seguin and Councillors Adam Bureau and Emily Chorley joined Community Care volunteers March 6 at Extendicare Cobourg, which is the provider for the hot meals in the Cobourg area served by Community Care. They were present as volunteers picked up the meals in their special insulated bags, then went along with them on deliveries to Meals On Wheels clients.
Routes are pre-planned to ensure the meals arrive hot over the noon hour. When deliveries are done, the empty bags are returned to Extendicare for the next delivery day. Last year, with the help of local volunteers, more than 12,000 hot and frozen meals were delivered throughout the Cobourg area.
Other March For Meals events planned this month include March 8 in Port Hope, March 15 in Campbellford, March 19 in Grafton, March 21 in Brighton, March 27 in Hastings and March 28 in Colborne.
Community Care Northumberland executive director Trish Baird thanked Henderson, Seguin, Bureau and Chorley for helping them kick off March For Meals 2019.
“Their involvement will help us raise the profile of this program and our need for Meals On Wheels volunteers in the Cobourg area,” Baird said.
The program is growing throughout the county, she added, meaning the need for volunteers is also increasing.
“Without volunteers, we will be forced to cap service, because we simply cannot keep up with the demand.”
