Belleville Intelligencer e-edition

March for Meals increases awareness

SHELL-LEE WERT Senior Scene

Each year, Meals on Wheels providers across Ontario participate in March for Meals which is an annual event to increase awareness and community engagement with local Meals on Wheels (MOW) providers across North America. Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) members who provide Meals on Wheels are always invited to take part in the annual campaign. This year's March for Meals is proudly sponsored by Johnson Insurance.

This year, the plan is to celebrate the volunteers who make it possible. Volunteers contribute to community-building by packing up meals, loading their cars and delivering food to seniors and people with physical disabilities. Volunteers also perform safety and wellness checks and provide companionship to isolated, vulnerable individuals. Too often it is said the friendly face of a MOW volunteer is the only face that is seen in a day.

The 2023 Community Champions Week is being celebrated between March 20th and 24th. During this time, we encourage our local dignitaries, elected officials, celebrities and other community champions to speak out for seniors and raise awareness for the power of Meals on Wheels programs. This special week provides an opportunity for powerful figures in our community and the local media to raise public awareness for the nutritional and social needs of seniors.

In Ontario there are 125 notfor-profit organizations that receive partial funding from the provincial government to provide MOW programs. In 2021 – 2022 there were 3,413,283 meals delivered to 46,777 Ontarians. In South Hastings our agency delivered 67,511 of these meals to 460 seniors and older adults with physical disabilities in our community. This amazing feat was accomplished with about 40 percent of our usual volunteer contingent so they have our heartfelt gratitude.

Access to nutritious and affordable meals is imperative to the independence and sustenance of our senior community members and this reality has been magnified immensely during the pandemic and continues to be a priority with inflated food costs and a higher cost of living.

Research shows that healthy eating provides essential energy and nutrients for general welfare and maintenance of health, functional autonomy, and risk reduction of chronic diseases in our older population.

Many of our vulnerable seniors and adults with physical disabilities are currently facing extraordinary levels of food insecurity and agencies like CCSH are struggling to meet the challenges associated with this need. Since 2012 the client fee for our meal delivery programs has only been increased once – back in 2018 - because we want our meals to be affordable and accessible to everyone. Annual inflation, a lack of increased base funding and a decline in donations has made this a very difficult endeavour.

An even greater impact on our meal programs has been felt through the devastating loss of delivery volunteers during the pandemic and this challenge is not one that can be solved with dollars. During this Community Champions Week, Community Care for South Hastings is imploring our community members, businesses and corporations to think about how they can help us continue to feed a vulnerable segment of our population.

Delivering MOW is an opportunity for a couple of friends to do something together on a regular basis or for a business to demonstrate their commitment to community by allowing staff paid time to deliver meals. It is not a huge time commitment, but it has an enormous impact on our senior community. Be creative in your thinking and call us at 613969-0130 to let us know you are willing to help keep people out of the hospital, emergency departments, and long term care. Help us keep people “Independent – At Home”.

Information in this column is compiled by Shell-Lee Wert, CCSH, 470 Dundas Street East, Unit 63, Belleville, K8N 1G1. Please visit our website at or email me at shellleew@ccsh.ca, or call 613-969-0130 or 613-396-6591 for information and assistance. Community Care is a proud United Way member agency. Funding in part from Ontario Health East.

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2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://eeditionintelligencer.pressreader.com/article/281659669287477

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