Thousands of seniors on 91原创 Island are likely going without proper nutrition, feeling isolated and facing the prospect of little help in the future.
While there are small armies of volunteers who work tirelessly to deliver meals to vulnerable seniors and others on the Island, many still fall through the cracks.
Tricia Gueulette, chief executive of Beacon Community Services, said there is no co-ordinated regional effort to tackle the problem, and the organizations that do this kind of work are stretched to capacity and unable to take on much more.
Beacon operates the More Than Meals program, which delivers frozen meals to about 100 vulnerable seniors on the Saanich Peninsula. The program, which started during the pandemic, was initially funded by the United Way, but that funding is expected to dry up soon.
Beacon receives funding from the Times 91原创 Christmas Fund Society, which works with the local chapter of the Sovereign Order of St. John to get money to dozens of community agencies in the region.
Beacon has committed to extending the More Than Meals program until March. But there’s no certainty after that.
“We’ve discovered there’s a humongous need for this right across our city,” said Gueulette. “And it’s not just the meals, it’s the check-ins.”
She said the program has three touch points with its clients — calling them to take a meal order, the interaction when it is delivered and then a follow-up. “There have been times when we’ve arrived at their doorsteps and someone has fallen a couple of days ago and nobody’s found them. In one case we saved someone’s life,” said Gueulette. “There’s a massive need for this across our city.”
She said a combination of rising food costs — estimated to have increased by 27 per cent since 2020 — housing costs and an aging population that is now living at home instead of in care has made these kinds of programs essential.
To address that need, Beacon, which has about 550 volunteers, 200 of whom work with the meals program, is scouring foundations looking for financial help to maintain and perhaps expand its program. “We’re looking at all kinds of different avenues for fundraising for this. We absolutely see the need and we don’t want it to stop,” Gueulette said.
The program delivers frozen meals once a week. Each client gets three dinners a week, for a total of 12 a month.
Gueulette said they would like to find out what groups are doing this kind of work, how they are funded and how they deliver their programs so it can be better co-ordinated on a regional basis, so no one falls through the cracks.
She couldn’t speculate about what a regional budget might look like, but said the Peninsula program costs about $20,000 a month for 100 people.
Kortnee Smith, operations manager at Cowichan Green Community, said the need is just as acute north of the Malahat.
Created 20 years ago, Cowichan Green co-ordinates and administers projects like the Meals on Wheels program, a farmer’s market coupon program, and food services for homeless people. It has grown steadily through a strong donation network and a growing food-recovery program, but it wants to do more.
Smith said the Times 91原创 Christmas Fund contribution helps fund the Meals on Wheels program, which is ripe for expansion.
“The need there is growing and right now we don’t have the capacity to reach everybody who needs it,” she said, noting they are limited by the number of volunteer drivers. “The big need that we’re trying to push for in 2025 is to hopefully bring on more drivers so that we can reach Cobble Hill, Lake Cowichan, Cowichan Bay and Mill Bay.
“We get calls every week for new clients — we have a waitlist going. I bet there’s thousands more that we could be serving if we had the means to get meals out to them.”
Smith said for some clients, the meal they receive is the only one they’ll eat that day. It may also be the only social interaction they have. “It’s not just about feeding them. It’s socialization and connection. It’s quite an impactful program,” she said.
She said the lack of social supports and rising cost of living have left more people relying on groups like Cowichan Green.
“Having to choose between paying your rent or eating a meal is a reality for a lot of people,” she said.
B.C. Seniors Advocate Dan Levitt said the number of seniors using food banks is rising, and some face a choice between paying for groceries and keeping the lights on or buying medication.
Levitt said the top issue his office hears about is affordability.
“Pensions are just not keeping pace with the increased cost of living, including the inflationary cost of food,” he said, adding one in four seniors in the province is living on an income of less than $23,000 a year, below the poverty line.
Levitt said a senior not getting proper nutrition is a major public-health issue, since inadequate access to food can lead to malnutrition, chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and hypertension, lower cognitive function, and greater risk of poor mental health.
The Times 91原创 Christmas Fund, which started in 1956, is one of the oldest Christmas-related charity efforts in British Columbia.
From Nov. 12 to Dec. 18, it has raised $804,349.69 from 2,513 donors, with a goal to match the $1.12 million donated last year.
Last year, the Christmas Fund distributed grants to 53 91原创 Island charities.
HOW TO DONATE TO THE CHRISTMAS FUND
• Go online to . That page is linked to CanadaHelps, which is open 24 hours a day and provides an immediate tax receipt.
• Use your credit card by phoning 250-995-4438 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Cheques should be made out to the Times 91原创 Christmas Fund. Bring or mail your cheque to the Times 91原创, 201鈥�655 Tyee Rd., Victoria, B.C. V9A 6X5.
• Contact Maximum Express for free pickup and delivery of your cheque. Call dispatch at 250-721-3278 or email [email protected].
