Outreach Healthy Meal Program

AREA A SENIORS HOUSING PROJECT Outreach Healthy Meals
Three Day - Four Week Menu
Healthy, ready-to-heat meal delivery for $10 a meal
Supported by: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 112; Sunshine Coast Credit Union; Sunshine Coast
Regional District; Union of BC Municipalities and Our Volunteer Food Preparers and Drivers

Three meals available each week are:

Week One	Grilled chicken breast Rice Pilaf Green Beans and Mushrooms Salad greens Soup of the day	Baked Halibut in Mustard Chive Sauce Roasted Peppers, Onions, Zucchinis Salad greens Soup of the day	Meat lasagna (frozen) Coleslaw Soup of the day	For ordering assistance and information, call Linda Curtiss: 604-883-2819 lcurtiss@telus.net
Week Two	Meat Loaf Hash Brown Casserole Oven Roasted Root Vegetables with Gravy Salad greens Soup of the day	Chicken Pot Pie (frozen) Coleslaw Soup of the day	Grilled Salmon Rice Pilaf Broccoli/Cauliflower Hollandaise Sauce Salad Greens Soup of the day	Anky Drost: 604-883-0033 adrost@dccnet.com Also available for pick-up at the Legion
Week Three	Tuna Casserole (frozen) Coleslaw Soup of the day	Baked Ham Scalloped Potatoes Baked Acorn Squash Salad greens Soup of the day	Chicken Strips Pasta with Tomato/ Vegetable Sauce Salad Greens Soup of the day	Please note: Vegetables may change according to availability.
Week Four	Roasted Chicken with gravy Brussels Sprouts Yams Salad greens Soup of the day	Fish Cakes (frozen) Rice Pilaf Peas and Carrots Coleslaw Soup of the day	Salisbury Steak Onions & Gravy Mashed Potatoes Red Cabbage Salad greens Soup of the day	Meals will be delivered on Mondays, except in the case of a statutory holiday, then delivery will be on Tuesday.

For ordering assistance & more information call: Linda Curtiss: 604-883-2819 lcurtiss@telus.net or
Anky Drost: 604-883-0033 adrost@dccnet.com

Also available for pick-up at the Legion
1. Place your order 1 week ahead to ensure fresh and as much as possible, local food supplies
2. Enter yourself on a delivery route and weekly call list to make arrangements for your eating style preferences
3. Arrange a suitable method of payment with an Area A Seniors Housing Project meal assistant
4. Proceeds to Area A Seniors Housing Project in Pender Harbour.

	Healthy Meals Gets Lots of Support Linda Curtiss, originator of the Society’s Outreach Healthy Meals Project, was pleased to receive two donations from the Pender Harbour Lions Club, proceeds from the Pancake Breakfast the Lions held on Easter Sunday. The Lions donated $1000 to the Outreach Healthy Meals program and $1000 to the building fund for the Pender Harbour Abbeyfield House. John Forward, President of the Lions Club, thanked Lafarge Cement whose generous sponsorship of the Breakfast made it possible for the Lions to donate all the proceeds to worthy projects in the community.
The Outreach Healthy Meals project also was the beneficiary of two other donations recently. The Royal Canadian Legion continued its support for the project by donating a further $500 from the proceeds of its weekly meat-draws and $1500 was received from the Million Dollar Round Table Foundation. Rick Parranto, London Life Financial Security Advisor and member of the MDRF, sponsored the application. The money will be used to cover operating expenses including advertising and volunteer training.

The Pender Harbour Legion Poppy Fund was pleased to donate $300 to the Outreach Healthy Meals program that prepare and delivers fresh, healthy meals to isolated seniors and others in need in Area A, in conjunction with the Area A Seniors Housing Project. Pat Wood (left) of the Legion presents the cheque to Linda Curtiss, co-ordinator of the project, while Stuart Holmstrom of the Legion and key supporter of the meal preparations looks on.

Project Partners: The primary partners are the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 112 (Madeira Park) and SCCU with input from additional partners, home care nurses and long term care coordinators from the Pender Harbour Health Centre and the Coast Garibaldi Health Unit.

Why is this Project Important? Area A of the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) is a geographically dispersed region covering 1900 sq. km. with a population of approximately 2500 and a larger than average seniors’ population. There is no public transit service in this area and some sites are water access only.

We perceive a need for the many isolated seniors still living in their own homes (some of whom may eventually move into our Abbeyfield House) to have a means of receiving nutritious, inviting, well-prepared meals, designed to meet specific diets (e.g., diabetic diets) delivered to their homes. At present, the local Health Centre operates a Harbourside Friendships Program which serves a healthy lunch and provides an activity program for seniors once a week but that only reaches those able to come to the central location and it happens only once a week.

Once our Abbeyfield House is operating, this service could be delivered from the Abbeyfield kitchen and the revenue stream created by it could help offset the costs of running the House. In the interim, the Pender Harbour Legion has partnered with us and has provided the use of their commercial kitchen for the preparation of the meals. Any surplus generated from the service would be donated to the Abbeyfield building fund.

In the future, we feel the meal program could also meet the needs of seniors living in the adjoining cluster housing development, persons with disabilities, those who are recovering from illnesses, and those receiving palliative care at home. By opting for this service, all these community members would be supporting the ongoing operation of our Abbeyfield House. This program could not only meet nutritional needs but also reduce social isolation for seniors living alone. We anticipate a strong volunteer component, but, when fully operational, it might provide employment for local people and/or job experience opportunities for local high school students.