Seniors in the Municipality of Pontiac will now have access to free meals delivered right to their doors thanks to a new program being launched by a local seniors’ services centre.
The Service aux Aînés des Collines will be offering the service to 30 seniors in what is a five-month trial program will deliver healthy meals to their doors. The organization, which partnered with Luskville catering company OuiChef, sent out its first batch of meals on Sept. 22.
Jennifer Larose, vice-president of Service aux Aînés’ administration council, said she has been trying to get something like this in the Municipality of Pontiac for a few years now. She said similar programs exist in the MRC Pontiac and in the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais, but Pontiac municipality has not benefited from them to date.
“Nothing is going on in our municipality,” said Larose, who added that she was hearing from community members that many older people were having trouble getting around to buy groceries or to attend meals.
“I hear people often saying that they couldn’t come out to [dances], so they were missing [opportunities]. They were home, they have mobility issues, so I saw that there was a need for it,” she said.
Larose said the pilot’s cap was 30 participants, but that she has many more names on a waitlist, keen to receive the service should it extend beyond its five-month trial.
The program will service the Municipality of Pontiac, as well as areas of La Pêche such as Lac-des-Loups and Sainte-Cécile-de-Masham.
OuiChef cooks and delivers the meals to the seniors who registered for the program. Participants were able to indicate any dietary restrictions on their application, which the caterer took into account.
Nicole Touchette, former president of the Luskville Blés d’Or club, said in her time she has seen a growing need to feed an aging population that often cannot drive to buy groceries to cook for themselves.
“I know people who aren’t doing well, that are alone, and that have trouble walking and have no vehicle either,” she said, adding that the lack of resources in Luskville means that many people have to drive to Aylmer or Shawville just to buy food.
“We are really rural here. There’s not much here in the village [of Luskville] aside from the church and the school,” she said.
Larose said seniors are often spending their money on other things such as medication, rent, or other expenses and there might not be enough left to pay for groceries.
“They might not have enough money for food,” she said.
While the program is only confirmed for a trial period, organization director Amal El Azzouzi said the goal is to keep the program going beyond that period in order to better serve residents.
“Our goal right now is to extend beyond five months, so finding a financer in order to extend the program,” she said.
