GLACE BAY, N.S. — Citizens Service League at Town House is working hard to continue providing its meals on wheels program during the COVID-19 outbreak.
However, they’ve made changes to ensure they are following the recommendations outlined by Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer and the restrictions on public gatherings which are now finable offences in the province.
Executive director Ed Beaton said the biggest change has been their move away from using volunteers to make the meals on Wednesdays and Thursdays, their busiest days. Instead, they’ve worked out an agreement with the New Dawn meals on wheels program, which uses a professional chef.
This new measure helps reduce the number of people preparing meals.
Meals on Fridays are still being provided by Victoria Haven Nursing Home.
Beaton said they’ve had some new clients sign up for their meals on wheels program due to the COVID-19 outbreak while others have withdrawn from it, for the same reason.
“Some people aren’t entirely comfortable with meals on wheels deliveries with the coronavirus (pandemic),” he said during a phone interview from his home, where he is working remotely.
“They tell us that and say they have family who are helping them. We will follow up with them after this is all over, to see if they need the program again when we get back to normal. Whatever our new normal is after this.”
Along with a change in who is making the meals, there have also been changes in volunteers.
“Many of our volunteers were in the high-risk category, due to their age,” Beaton said. “John White’s Future Ready Youth group are helping us with deliveries now.”
Beaton said they are hoping to find other volunteers since the Future Ready Youth group is also helping with other community support initiatives as well.
“It becomes a case of we don’t want to burn our volunteers out.”
All other Town House programs and its daycare have been suspended until the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
Although they haven’t had to lay off any staff — who are all working from home — Beaton said he worries about them and resuming operations as normal at Town House when the COVID-19 crisis is over.
“Naturally our fundraising has fallen by the wayside,” said Beaton. “It’s hard to fundraise when you can’t go into public places. That’s going to impact many non-profits I think.”
