Be a Hero to a Neighbour in Need

PAOLO DELIVERS MEALS ON WHEELS VIA BICYCLE. © COURTESY OF CARE BC

Be a Hero to a Neighbour in Need

The Health and Home Care Society of BC (also known as “Care BC”) has operated a Meals on Wheels (MOW) program in Vancouver since 1967. Over our five decades of service to the community, the program has grown to serve the neighbouring communities of Richmond and the North Shore; we also launched a Chinese MOW program in 1996 to meet the region’s changing demographics.

Our MOW clients, many of whom are frail, homebound seniors at risk of isolation, receive a hot, nutritious meal and a brief friendly visit from our delivery volunteers. Sixty percent of our clients live alone, with no regular visitors connecting with them. It has always been our mission to enable seniors to continue to live independently in their homes for as long as possible—the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased feelings of anxiety and loneliness among those of our clients who were already struggling.

Eleanor is the sole caregiver for her husband, Prod, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and requires 24-hour care and assistance. She describes how MOW has helped them:

“With COVID-19, I have had to limit his exposure to outsiders, so I’ve been his sole caregiver all this time. Looking after him takes so much of my time that I have had no time for anything else, including shopping for groceries and cooking. Meals on Wheels has become a blessing for us. Not only are the meals nutritious and varied but the volunteers who deliver them have been very kind and supportive. Words are not enough to show how grateful my husband and I are for MOW’s support and assistance.”

We couldn’t continue our essential work without the support of local volunteer heroes who helped us deliver over 130,000 meals last year. Volunteers like Lisa and Paolo signed up during the pandemic because some of their in-person work was shut down. Paolo says:

“It’s almost magical—not only is it very satisfying to deliver meals on bikes, there are so many other ‘layers of goodness’—increasing food security, combatting social isolation, and performing an informal safety check.”

We are also extremely grateful for the support we receive from generous donors. Care BC subsidizes the cost of each meal to keep them affordable for our clients, many of whom are on fixed incomes. A gift of $250 supports the cost of 125 Meals, including a combination of hot entrees, frozen entrees, and sandwich packs.

Being a hero to at-risk seniors in your community is as easy as volunteering a few hours of your time or making a generous financial donation. Will you be a hero to someone in need?

We are always looking for volunteers who can help during weekday lunch hours in Vancouver, Richmond, and the North Shore. Volunteers who can speak Cantonese or Mandarin in addition to English are particularly needed right now. As we work with vulnerable clients, criminal record checks and COVID vaccinations are required.

Visit our website, www.carebc.ca, for more information.