Sudbury Meals on Wheels faces volunteer shortage, seeks drivers

Sudbury Meals on Wheels seeks volunteers to support seniors' independence. With 13 daily routes, volunteers are vital to keep the non-profit delivering.

Sudbury’s Meals on Wheel is a non-profit that provides a vital service in the community. Healthy hot and frozen meals that are prepared and delivered to senior shut-ins and those unable to prepare meals for themselves – but right now it needs volunteers.

86-year-old Andre Brisebois has been volunteering with the organization for the past 33 years, making deliveries. He told CTV News that he enjoys the interaction and helping others.

Brisebois said his parents were the same.

The local non-profit has been operating in Sudbury for almost 55 years. Freshly cooked, nutritious meals are carefully prepared and packaged in a licensed and inspected kitchen to be delivered to clients five days a week.

“Meals n Wheels is fully volunteer-based. We are always looking for volunteers because we have 13 routes a day that go out to serve over 300 clients,” said Tammi Lear, non-profit’s executive director.

The base cost of the meals to clients is $10.25.

On Tuesday, local MPPs volunteered to make deliveries.

“It’s a great service. I mean the cost of staying in a retirement home or long-term care where someone is preparing meals for you is expensive,” said Sudbury MPP Jamie West.

“With Meals on Wheels, you know seniors can stay in their homes longer, which they prefer to do and have that independence without the sort of hassle of making meals.”

“Most of the time, the volunteers know the client because many of the volunteers have been here for a long time,” added Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas.

“So there will be a fun chat happening once the meal gets delivered and the people are always grateful.”

Sudbury Meals on Wheels is currently having to pay people to help out because of a shortage of volunteers – a cost the non-profit says it would rather spend on programming.