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Meals on Wheels rolling into Grand Falls-Windsor

After starting as a pilot project, the Meals on Wheels program is hitting the road full-time in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Michelle Daye, secretary and director of public relations for Meals on Wheels, says the plan is to offer hot and nutritious meals for seniors with "physical or mental barriers."

Daye said the meals usually feature a soup, a hot main dish — like a pork chop dinner with vegetables — and a dessert.

"It's all focused on diet. The diets are drawn up by dietitians, and anybody with any special needs, for example, diabetes, those things would be taken in to consideration," she told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning.

Chris Ensing/CBC
Chris Ensing/CBC

Daye said getting a healthy, nutritious diet is something that's becoming more challenging with the area's aging population.

That's why Meals on Wheels partnered with the Town of Grand Falls-Windsor and Central Health to launch the first pilot project more than a year ago, something Daye said has been a success.

We knew we were on the right track and it was just a matter of being able to open up to the general public. - Michelle Daye

"Before we started, we tried to construct a policy and procedure component to it, we put out a call for volunteers and we had absolutely astonishing response to that, they were trained, and with a partnership with Central Health … they provide the meals for us, and before we knew it we were knocking on doors and it went off without a hitch," she said.

According to Daye, feedback from some of the clients and volunteers helped the program to grow.

"Most of the feedback, if not all, was all positive, so we knew we were on the right track and it was just a matter of being able to open up to the general public,"

More than just a meal

But it's not just the food that makes the program valuable. Daye said the social aspect of the Meals on Wheels service is just as important as getting a hot meal.

"Some of our clients probably aren't able to leave their homes, so this is the only social contact that they have," she said.

The new program will move from serving 15 clients to 30, and could expand further in the future. Daye said she's been getting calls from people looking to volunteer and to avail of the program.

"The population is aging and it is becoming a need," said Daye.

"People are not getting out like they could and used to. Elderly people are staying in their homes longer than they used to, so I do think that need is going to grow."

With files from Newfoundland Morning

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