South Cariboo Better at Home was forced to end its frozen meal delivery program last week after losing access to $30,000 in funding.
The last frozen meals were delivered on Monday, March 24 along with a letter explaining why the program, popular among seniors with limited mobility or who otherwise can't cook for themselves, was ending. Cindy Faulkner, the South Cariboo coordinator of Better at Home, said it was because the Food Security Funds she had been relying on had ended. The funding, available for the last two years, was leftover money set aside during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's really sad because, for the last two years, we've had a $30,000 food security budget built into our program. It's been just fabulous, we've been able to provide 440 meals a month on average to seniors that live in different areas," Faulkner said. "Some of them have just had surgery, some of them are not able to cook because they're in a wheelchair. It's really filled a niche that was just so needed."
Better at Home's frozen meal delivery service worked by the group coordinating with volunteers at the Forest Grove Community Hall and Interlakes Community Hall to deliver cooked frozen meals every second week to seniors in need. Thanks to the funding Better at Home purchased the meals from the halls and brought them to seniors free of charge or at a subsidized rate.
Faulkner said she was surprised to learn the funding she'd been applying for and receiving was leftover money from the COVID-19 pandemic and that it had run out.
She noted that over 50 per cent of the South Cariboo's population is seniors and that Better at Home has a positive impact on the community. A huge part of that positive impact, Faulkner said, has been the food program. It ending is going to have a trickle-down negative effect on the community.
"That money has really helped those community halls as well to do their programming and keep their lights on, so its a bit of a real trickle-down effect I'm sorry to see happening," Faulkner remarked.
As an alternative, Faulkner said she has applied for a new grant called Social Meals which may be able to help fill the gap left by the Food Security Funds. However, she noted this money may not be able to be used for the frozen meal delivery program due to its requirements.
"It would involve seniors coming out to social meals like luncheons, which is wonderful, but it won't replace the frozen meals to seniors who can't get out and can't drive," Faulkner said. "That's really concerning to me because I don't know for sure if we're going to get that grant and for how much it will be."
Faulkner said that the provincial government subsidizes snow removal, lawn care and housekeeping for Better at Home. In her opinion some of the other services Better at Home offers that are not subsidized, such as the frozen food delivery program, are just as important and should be funded. These include the grocery delivery service, prescription pick-up service and driving seniors to appointments in town.
"It's a real struggle to provide those services because they rely on volunteers and it's very difficult to find volunteers these days," Faulkner said.
For now, Faulkner said she plans to wait to hear if she will get the Social Meals grant and if she will be able to use some of it to help partially revive the frozen food program. She also hopes to make the provincial government more aware of how a rural community like the South Cariboo differs from a city.
"People in the city can call a taxi or get on a bus or order food and have it delivered. The people we are supplying meals to are out in Canim Lake, Lone Butte and some people are in town as well but we don't have busses or taxis for them to get around," Faulkner remarked. "We're so rural that our services are different up here so perhaps they should look at the differences in our rural communities compared to the city."
Anyone looking to donate to the frozen meals program or to volunteer with Better at Home is invited to contact Faulkner at betterathome@100milehospicesociety.org. She noted that community members can still purchase frozen meals at $6 a piece from the Forest Grove Community Hall, the Interlakes Community Centre and the Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre.
