A friendly face and a healthy dinner in tow, Community Care Northumberland (CCN) is hoping to bring more of its “Meals on Wheels” program to Northumberland County residents.
CCN is launching its annual Easter cookie fundraiser, with the goal of raising vital funds for the Meals on Wheels program to ensure more individuals and families throughout the county have access to nutritious meals and meaningful social connections.
Until Thursday, April 10, community members and businesses can order Easter-themed cookies crafted by Roda’s Kitchen in Cobourg and help provide essential meals to those in need.
CCN also hopes the endeavour engages the community and raises awareness about the impact and increasing demand for the Meals on Wheels program.
“Due to today’s economy, more and more clients are in need of the Meals on Wheels program,” Sheri Birney, CCN’s manager of nutrition services, told kawarthaNOW.
“We provide a well-balanced, nutritious meal to our clients in the community. Our volunteers who deliver the meals are very dedicated and provide a wellness check while delivering. We need the support of the community to be able to keep the meals at an affordable cost to the clients,” Birney explained.
The Easter cookie fundraiser offers a variety of cookie options, including $20 for five decorated shortbread cookies, $25 for five gluten-free Easter-themed cookies for those with dietary preferences, and $100 for 26 shortbread cookies to share with friends, family, or coworkers (available with regular shortbread cookies only, not gluten-free ones).
By participating in this fundraiser, community members will be satisfying their collective sweet tooth while helping bring nutritious and affordable meals to seniors, adults with disabilities, and individuals recovering from illness or surgery.
“This fundraiser allows us to bring joy to our community while ensuring that our neighbours in need have access to healthy meals,” said CCN CEO Trish Baird in a media release.
“We’re so grateful for the continued support of our community, and we’re especially thankful to Lucy from Roda’s Kitchen for generously donating her time and talents to create these delicious cookies. Her commitment to our cause makes this fundraiser even sweeter.”
All orders will be available for pick-up on Wednesday, April 16 and Thursday, April 17, between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., with a choice of three pick-up location: 174 Oliver Rd. in Campbellford, 1158 Division St. in Cobourg, and 46 Prince Edward St. in Brighton.
To place an order, visit www.commcare.ca. CCN asks those who are placing orders for gluten-free and bulk orders of 26 cookies to call 1-365-400-1592 or email ccndonorinfo@commcare.ca to arrange pick-up details.
CCN’s Meals on Wheels program delivers healthy and affordable meal options to clients throughout Northumberland County. People can choose to receive hot meals, which are prepared locally and delivered several times per week at the noon hour, or frozen meals, which are easy to prepare and cater to several diet types. All meals are delivered by CCN volunteers or staff members right to the client’s door.
In 2023-2024, CCN’s Meals on Wheels program delivered 34,355 meals to 584 clients in the county.
Last year’s Easter cookie fundraiser raised $16,000 for Meals on Wheels, with 800 boxes of cookies sold — equating to a 800 meals supplied to Northumberland County residents.
