Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin is used to serving the public. Just not in this capacity.
On March 19, she got the opportunity to test her food-service chops, while doing a ride-along with Canadian Red Cross Simcoe Muskoka branch representatives as part of March for Meals, an international campaign highlighting the importance of the Meals on Wheels program, and its ongoing need for volunteers.
Dollin spent about an hour delivering meal packages to homes in town.
“Volunteers are gold,” she said. “We learned through COVID(-19) how much we have to count on each other. Our volunteers were superheroes throughout the pandemic. We couldn’t afford to pay them what they deserve to be paid.”
Meals on Wheels assists local seniors, and individuals recovering from illness or injury, by providing hot and frozen food options that can meet almost any dietary restriction — from low-sodium to vegetarian. The meals are prepared by staff at Barrie’s Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, said Heather Stone, who coordinates the program in the South Simcoe area that includes Innisfil and Essa Township.
Each client can receive two hot deliveries per week, as well as a once-a-month bulk frozen drop-off, she said.
This program offers clients the convenience of having nutritious food delivered to their door, and it aims to reduce social isolation because volunteer drivers provide a wellness check-in while on site.
“If you’re having trouble, have a break; let us cook for you a couple nights a week,” Stone said.
Ideally, volunteers will agree to drive at least two days per month, though the Red Cross will keep those who are a little more eager “as busy as they want to be.”
“We’re always looking for more volunteers,” Stone said. “This is great for promoting awareness.”
And drivers do receive a gas allowance to help offset their costs, she said.
In Innisfil, the program serves about 20 clients per month — a number that climbs to about 40 throughout South Simcoe.
Across Ontario, volunteers deliver more than 260,000 meals annually.
“Because we deliver, we never leave the food at the door,” said Red Cross assistant manager Sandy Falcon, who joined Stone and Dollin for the ride-along. “If our client doesn’t answer the door, we have protocol we follow. We contact next of kin and wait to hear back from them. If not, we also call hospitals. Eventually, the police (are) called. We’re very lucky to have volunteers who know their clients so well — they know when something is wrong. If something is off, we do everything in our power to help.”
For more details on the program, visit the branch's website at redcross.ca.
