The sale of cheerfully decorated Easter cookies have gone a long way towards putting more meals on the tables of residents in need in Northumberland County.
Community Care Northumberland (CCN) has announced its recent Easter cookie fundraiser, once again hosted in partnership with Roda’s Kitchen in Cobourg, generated $5,800 for CCN’s Meals on Wheels program.
Those funds directly translate into 828 meals for community members, CCN communications specialist Chelsea Rankin told kawarthaNOW.
From March 10 to April 10, community members helped support CCN by purchasing hundreds of cookies that were handmade and by Roda’s Kitchen owner Lucy Roda and her team.
“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from our community, donors, volunteers, and especially Lucy and her team at Roda’s Kitchen,” said CCN CEO Trish Baird in a media release.
Meals on Wheels is a cornerstone program for CCN, providing affordable ready-to-eat meals to seniors living alone, adults with disabilities who are unable to shop for groceries or cook for themselves, and those recovering from illness or surgery who cannot cook for themselves.
The money raised from the annual Easter cookie fundraiser will continue to support the program’s mission.
“We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and generosity of our community and to Lucy at Roda’s Kitchen for her ongoing partnership,” added Sheri Birney, manager of nutrition services at CCN.
“We also want to thank our staff and volunteers who continue to support this program. Their dedication is what makes this important work possible.”
There are Meals on Wheels program options for residents of every community in Northumberland County. Clients can create an automatic meal delivery plan so they don’t have to remember to call in every order to their local CCN office.
“My mother has benefited from the Meals on Wheels program,” a family member of a client shared with CCN. “Each of the dedicated volunteers has very much added to her day. Each one is so cheerful and gives that little extra moment for a chat.”
CCN’s Meals on Wheels program offers both hot meal and frozen meal options. Program staff can accommodate several diet types and service options are flexible. Residents can receive Meals on Wheels on a short-term basis while recuperating from a surgery or illness, or they can access the program on a long-term basis so they can stay healthy by eating properly in their own home, CCN noted.
“Due to today’s economy, more and more clients are in need of the Meals on Wheels program,” Birney recently 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.”
To learn more about Community Care Northumberland’s Meals on Wheels program or to find out how you can get involved, visit commcare.ca/meals-on-wheels/.
