Hot meals for seniors

Twenty-five years of delivering hot Meals on Wheels to seniors in Prince Edward is being celebrated by Community Care during 2005. That’s a long time to keep meals hot but with a grant from the Stark Family Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Kingston, the temperature stays hot.

Volunteers deliver to seniors throughout the County in winter or summer, in rain or in snow, holiday or not. Genny Vincent, chair of the board, says “being able to purchase new delivery bags means that we are sure the meals are the right temperature when they arrive at the door of seniors.” Commenting on the relatively new and quite successful frozen Meals on Wheels program Debbie Moynes explained that “the bags are also used to keep the frozen meals cold.”

The Prince Edward County Community Care for Seniors Association operates the Meals on Wheels program. Over 260 different volunteers in any one year help to get these hot and frozen meals to the homes of seniors.

The mission statement of Community Care is to assist older adults to live in a home environment in reasonable independence. Along with Meals on Wheels many services are offered, including Seniors’ Dinners; transportation to medical appointments and shopping; friendly visiting to shut-ins; foot care clinics with specially trained registered nurses; Rural Route Reassurance program; Telephone Reassurance program; help with forms; home maintenance – heavy inside cleaning and outdoor yardwork and snow shovelling; and completion of income tax returns for eligible seniors.

Call or visit the Community Care office at The Armoury, 206 Main Street, Picton, 476-7493. Check out the website at www.communitycareforseniors.org More volunteers are always needed to deliver Meals on Wheels and to help with other services.