Seniors for Seniors expands kitchen for meal program

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This article was published 08/10/2022 (1131 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon Seniors for Seniors Co-op is making room for a bigger kitchen to fill in for meal delivery after the demise of Prairie Oasis Seniors Centre and Brandon Meals on Wheels.

A lot of it is thanks to charities pulling through with donations to make it happen.

Seniors for Seniors will celebrate the newly renovated and expanded Friendship Kitchen Oct. 21 with an official opening and public thanks to Winnipeg Kinsmen and United Way Brandon and District for funding. The event will include a tour of the new kitchen and lunch, said Rob Lavin, executive director for Brandon Seniors for Seniors Co-op, Inc.

Renaming the kitchen after the renovations is fitting, he said, considering its new responsibilities and the help to get it expanded.

“We never named the kitchen before, but we decided to rename it the Friendship Kitchen after the help we received from the two organizations,” Lavin said.

The kitchen itself is almost ready. New appliances and countertops are in place and a painter is coming in this weekend to finish the walls. A Friendship Kitchen plaque will be placed in the room once the paint has dried.

Seniors for Seniors has taken on weekly meal delivery to what used to be Meals on Wheels clients after Prairie Oasis was forced to close last July, which also meant Brandon Meals on Wheels disbanded. Demand for Seniors for Seniors’ weekly Dinner is Served meal program skyrocketed almost overnight, from 150 meals to 325.

Their meal program is different from Meals on Wheels, Levin explained. Food is prepared and packaged on Thursdays, refrigerated, and the meals are sent out for delivery Friday mornings.

Meals on Wheels is a nationally branded service that delivers hot meals to people’s homes five days a week, although every branch is independent of each other.

They are keeping the once-a-week format to keep meal preparation and delivery manageable, Lavin said. Along with renovating the kitchen, Seniors for Seniors has hired extra staff, he added.

Lavin said demand is going to keep growing, especially with the holiday season getting underway.

“We weren’t surprised because we knew we were going to be inundated,” he said. “At that point, the executive director of the United Way Brandon and District met with the executive of Prairie Oasis Seniors Centre and myself and asked how they could help. They [United Way] advised they have a $10,000 emergency fund and said we could apply.”

On the same day, he said, he reached out to Winnipeg Kinsmen, telling them Seniors for Seniors was in dire need because they needed to upgrade the kitchen’s appliances and received $25,000.

Winnipeg Kinsmen has a mandate to help all worthy charities across the province and Seniors for Seniors definitely fit the description, said executive director Kasia James. The membership votes on all requests for funding and they were happy to approve financing for the kitchen renovation.

She explained Winnipeg Kinsmen offers support to causes across Manitoba, with a focus on what the greatest need is in a community.

“That’s the foundation of our organization and why we exist,” she said. “We are all about coming together to build a stronger and better Manitoba. We are happy to commit this money to the Brandon area.”

She added Winnipeg Kinsmen has a renewed focus to have a provincial impact. Brandon is a large centre outside of Winnipeg, so they are happy to help support its community efforts.

Members of The United Way Brandon and District knew there was going to be a large void in the seniors community with the loss of Prairie Oasis and Meals on Wheels, said executive director Cynamon Mychasiw. The funding for the Friendship Kitchen will help ensure those in need will still get nutritious meals each week.

They wanted to make sure Seniors for Seniors could ramp up production, so they could expand their meal program and keep it going.

“At the end of the day, The United Way is here to help build the community and make sure everyone in that community is taken care of and supported,” she said. “We do that through critical agencies that are working with families every day, so we are proud to invest in these groups that are doing such incredible work.”

Demand has been so high that Seniors for Seniors had to use the staff kitchen for some meal preparation as well. It reached out to Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation (BNRC) through the community projects application to renovate that kitchen and replace the appliances.

The BNRC was happy to help Seniors for Seniors in their efforts to get the staff kitchen renovated to help with serving meals, said community development co-ordinator Hope Switzer.

“We are happy to support such a great organization,” she said. “We wish them the best of luck going forward.”

Meals on Wheels programs are funded through the regional health authorities. In an email statement, a PMH spokesperson said it will be supporting Seniors for Seniors in regard to the meal program in Brandon by funding what was previously allocated to Prairie Oasis through a service purchase agreement. This funding came into effect Oct. 1.

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