by Mary Bailey
Late March was chaotic.
Meals on Wheels, the local non-profit that provides meals with social interaction, was tackling rapid changes daily. The staff, led by executive director Liz Tondu, was adjusting to the new normal on the fly, applying the strict Covid-19 health and safety protocols mandated by AHS and making new routines to fit. And they needed new volunteers. Lots of them.
That’s when I heard from hospitality entrepreneur Charles Rothman. “Hey, do you know anyone who could volunteer at Meals on Wheels?” he asked.
I put it out there. Then I thought, I could do that.
I became one of the volunteer kitchen helpers. We prepare meals to be frozen (this involves a balky contraption that seals the plastic trays. I named her Lucille after I Love Lucy in the chocolate factory (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkQ58I53mjk); break down crates of root vegetables; chop herbs; peel potatoes and slice onions and peppers; pipe cookie dough; mop and sweep—whatever the staff asks us to do.
We enter and exit through different doors, masked; get our temperatures checked; fill out the form; then it’s on to standard kitchen protocols—apron, hair net, disposable gloves. We are careful to stay six feet apart, which sometimes means a dance around the ovens.
During the first few weeks, I worked with cooks from restaurants that had been shut down due to Covid. Chef Jason Wild, one of the many cooking professionals Charles was able to recruit, showed me the fastest way to break down a box of carrots and corrected my celery chopping technique. He was a dream to work with—quick, easy-going, and a great teacher, using his experience of decades spent in professional kitchens.
Meals on Wheels started in the UK during the Blitz. The first program in Canada was in 1963, in Brampton, Ontario, begun by nurse Ruby Cuthbert. Their funding comes from government, corporate sponsors and individual donors and some of their labour is volunteer. Volunteers are vital to keeping in daily contact with clients while doing deliveries and helping in the kitchen.
“We always had a good mix of volunteers, including people with disabilities,” says Lindsay Rothman, the client services and volunteer manager (and married to Charles). “These folks have so much to offer yet struggle to get a paid job. We had a few shift workers—police, firefighters, paramedics. Students looking for work, experience at Meals on Wheels looks good on a resume. And retirees. And newcomers, what better way to become integrated, you are immersed in the community.
“Now with Covid we have more working professionals, culinary professionals and students. The theme of Covid—helping your neighbour, or giving back, has been the silver lining in such a tough time.”
Lindsay has a long history with Meals on Wheels. “My mother volunteered in my hometown in B.C. My brother and I would go with her on her delivery route,” she says. “I would have my cheek pinched and be given a Werther’s. I learned the value and importance of giving back from that early time. Later I was the caregiver for my grandmother. She was my job, but I volunteered at Calgary Meals on Wheels. After my grandmother died six years ago I reached out to Liz and started in my role here.”
“There are four of us in the client services department, where we onboard new clients, sign them up, do the billing and customer service. It’s one-on-one client-focused care. Our work is hugely operational—there are a lot of therapeutic menus and it’s important that people get the right food at the right time.
Anyone can have Meals on Wheels, it’s not just the elderly. It could be people recovering from surgery, dealing with mental health issues or new mothers.
“It’s about the check-in and the socialization. Many of our clients don’t have supporting family. If they didn’t have their delivery person, they wouldn’t see anyone else that day or that week. They look forward to the volunteer’s visit. It gives them a reason to get out of bed, put on their red lipstick and do their hair. Especially if one of our cute firemen is coming to see them.
“Our volunteers make connections too. Many of the delivery volunteers have been doing it for years. One couple have been drivers since the ’80’s. This interaction can help clients stay in their own homes and live healthy and independent lives.
“We have had to revisit everything,” says Lindsay. “We have more meals to make and more routes to drive. Now we can’t come in the house. We have to call or buzz and leave it on the doorknob or on a chair. Then a volunteer calls to make sure that everything is ok.”
Terry Howe is the executive chef and food and production manager at Meals on Wheels. “Most of my time is spent coordinating the staff and overseeing the production as our numbers have really increased during Covid,” says Terry. “I work closely with Laura Doyle, our production floor supervisor.
“Now we run seven days per week, with late afternoon, evenings and weekend shifts to keep up with the demand. Daily meals have increased by about 15 per cent. We are making about 800-850 more meals per week. Some of those meals go to transitional housing and to the Covid isolation centres set
up by the city. And we have to make sure the quality is maintained,” he says. ” The majority of our clientele are seniors and people who can’t cook for themselves, or have modified diets due to a health concern. We do special meals that are minced and ground. AHS has strict protocols around that.
“Covid put a big wrench into everything everybody does,” says Terry. “We received a lot of food donations early on from caterers and food suppliers who had coolers and freezers full of food. We went from having 12-14 volunteers to six volunteers at a time, due to social distancing. It’s very fluid. We are always adapting.”
Dawn Kilborn is the person the volunteers (on my shift at least) have the most contact with. She cooks the frozen meals for the takeaway program. Friendly, hardworking, always smiling, you could call Dawn the minister of culture (or, as another volunteer does, DJ Dawn). She sets the tone, keeps the atmosphere light and plays the tunes later in the day.
“I’ve been here for six years, I started as a porter,” says Dawn. “Right now, we’re cooking a lot of comfort food because our numbers have gone up. The hardest thing is to keep people apart, we are constantly moving prep tables and adjusting stations to make sure everyone is social distancing. I do miss the old days when we could have a conversation without a mask.”
The caring ethos is obvious throughout the organization, in every department. Dawn talks about checking the route sheets before they go out. “Are they getting a large meal or extra sandwiches or soup? If it’s their birthday I write out a birthday card. They always get a birthday cake.”
Before Covid, Meals on Wheels was not on my radar. Maybe I thought when I drove by, ‘what a great little social service agency we have here.’
Now, I get it. The positive impact of this great little social service agency cannot be underestimated. If you have a few extra dollars this season, make a donation. Or, some extra time on your hands, call them about volunteering. You’ll be glad you did. mealsonwheelsedmonton.org.