Meals on Wheels delivers hot meals to Grande Prairie residents who are unable to cook for themselves. Executive Director Sherry Dennis says that all the meals are delivered every week by volunteers.
“The volunteer comes into the home of the client, drops off the meal, wishes them a great day and then the client enjoys the meal.”
Last year the program delivered around 3000 meals to residents in the area and Dennis says that volunteers can see anywhere from 10 to 30 people in a day depending on how many people are signed up for the service at one time.
Meals on Wheels started in Grande Prairie in 1982 and the Seniors Outreach Program took over the service in 1998. The service costs $10 a meal and Dennis says the program is open to anyone who needs help regardless of age.
“There’s no age limit on that program. For Example, we’ve had a mom and a couple of children on the program while mom was recuperating from surgery. So we’ve had many different age groups use the program.”
People can also stay on the program for as long as they want. Dennis has seen people receive meals for just a week or stay on the program for years.
“Sometimes they are only on the program for a short time. Which happens very often. Let’s say they just got out of the hospital and they’re weak and just need a little bit of a hand up. But we also have clients that have been on it for years because it allows them to be independent and stay in their own home longer.”
Due to increasing demand for the program, Dennis says that Seniors Outreach will be looking to expand their Meals on Wheels program in the future.
