Community Care doubles Meals on Wheels capacity in city with second kitchen

Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes has opened a second kitchen, effectively doubling the organization’s Meals on Wheels production capacity.

Village Housing in Lindsay has welcomed the program into its commercial kitchen, according to a media release, fulfilling a long-standing vision for the partnership. This allows Community Care to cook and serve nutritious and delicious hot meals to even more residents across the City of Kawartha Lakes, while also providing an important social interaction and wellness check.

Meals on Wheels has seen a large increase in demand since the start of the pandemic, as the program has been able to help seniors and adults with special needs or mobility issues receive healthy, fresh meals while staying safe at home. From March 2020, to the end of December 2020, over 28,000 meals were delivered throughout Kawartha Lakes to over 400 of the community’s most vulnerable people.

“Meals on Wheels is an important service for the many seniors and adults with special needs in our community, and we’re thrilled to be able to feed more people than ever with this expansion,” said Teri Wentworth, food services supervisor, Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes.

“Meals on Wheels offers more than a meal. We’re proud to keep people healthy and fed, while ensuring their safety through our wellness checks when meals are delivered.”

Meals on Wheels are delivered directly to clients’ doors across Kawartha Lakes, offering a monitoring and social connection component. These quick check-ins ensure the clients’ wellbeing and allow staff and volunteers to identify any issues or the need for additional services.

For the low price of $6.50, clients receive a nutritionally balanced, delicious, home-made hot meal that includes soup or salad, protein, starch, vegetable and dessert. Hot meals are able to accommodate vegetarian, diabetic, low sodium, puree/minced, and diverticulitis diets.

Frozen meals are also available for those who may want to eat on a different schedule. The frozen meal menu contains 150+ options, including specialty items to accommodate gluten free, diabetic, low sodium, pureed, minced, lactose free, no seeds or nuts, vegetarian, low fat, renal diets, vegan and low calorie diets. Frozen entrees cost $4.75, while soup and dessert are $1.75 each.

The new kitchen was funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund, facilitated by the Community Foundation Kawartha Lakes.

To register or inquire about Meals on Wheels, please call Community Care at 705-324-7323. For more information, visit www.ccckl.ca/mow.