Rural Routes program to distribute frozen meals to non-urban areas of P.E.I.

Meals on Wheels is known for delivering fresh, hot meals to vulnerable seniors, but P.E.I. chapters are now ramping up delivery of frozen dinners to better help people living in rural areas of the province.

To make it happen, the non-profit organization has found partner organizations to come on board as food suppliers, said Meals on Wheels' provincial co-ordinator Haley Zavo.

"It's no secret that food insecurity and isolation are major issues in our communities. I think that those needs are becoming more and more evident, and community members are jumping into action to address those needs," Zavo told CBC News.

Meals on Wheels P.E.I. has been operating as an umbrella group since 2022, but the 12 chapters across the Island have long been delivering food to people in need, some for four decades.

The organization recently added the Rural Routes frozen meal delivery program, allowing it to get dinners to rural parts on the Island where people don't have access to the service.

This would give residents such as seniors and housebound people the opportunity to get freezer meals delivered to their doorstep, Zavo said.

There are still rural areas of the Island where people don't have access to the Meals on Wheels service. (Meals on Wheels - Sudbury/Facebook)

"There's always work to be done. We help support community groups or people in communities who are interested in having Meals on Wheels."

For Zavo, the challenge is finding those partner organizations to make the deliveries possible.

In January, Meals on Wheels expanded its service in eastern P.E.I. through community support in Georgetown and Cardigan, adding to its existing services in Montague and Souris.

Both hot and frozen meals are delivered every Thursday.

Need is big in Belfast

Belfast, a rural municipality of about 1,700 people in the southeastern end of the Island, is one of the areas Meals on Wheels doesn't cover.

That's why Bob Brooks, the community's chief administrative officer, was excited when the organization announced its Rural Routes delivery service.

The new Rural Routes frozen meal delivery program would improve the lives of many Islanders, especially seniors and those who are housebound. (Submitted by Megan Klengenberg)

"What I really like about the program is if there are people stuck at home, they can get seven days worth of frozen meals delivered right to their door for five bucks a meal," Brooks said.

The frozen meal delivery program is designed for rural seniors who aren't able to access the hot meal services.

At $5 per meal, Rural Routes is geared toward people who are recovering from surgery or illness, or those who have trouble cooking for themselves.

People interested in signing up for the service are urged to reach out to Meals on Wheels.

The program would be a "fabulous improvement" for seniors and people who are stuck at home, Brooks said.

Many people now use food delivery platforms, but these services are either not available in rural areas like Belfast or come with high delivery fees.

"In rural municipalities, we often have trouble getting the same kind of services they are getting in urban centres," Brooks said. "Meals on Wheels gives them services that other people might take for granted."

'We often have trouble getting the same kind of services they are getting in urban centres,' says Belfast, P.E.I., chief administrative officer Bob Brooks. (Submitted by Bob Brooks)

While family members and friends in outlying Island communities tend to help each other, the Rural Routes program would be something people could count on on a weekly basis — especially for people who have no outside assistance at all, Brooks said.

"It would improve their life situation."