For some seniors, losing a spouse can also mean losing the person who did the cooking.
At the Battlefords District Food and Resource Centre, that has left some clients unsure what to do with the groceries in their food hampers – a gap the food bank and a local restaurant are trying to fill.
The centre has partnered with The Blend Kitchen and Bar to provide frozen, single-serving meals to clients who struggle to cook or do not have proper cooking facilities. Donors can sponsor the meals for $5 each, while the restaurant absorbs the remaining cost.
“When they come, they go fast. Everybody really appreciates them,” said executive director Erin Katerynych, adding that the food bank had already served 77 seniors in September at the time of her interview.
She said the program also helps people living in hotel rooms or other situations where they do not have adequate cooking facilities. The meals are generally placed in hampers intended for one person.
The partnership has operated on and off for about a year and remains a pilot as the food bank and restaurant determine which meals work best for clients.
The idea started when The Blend owner and general manager Robin Petersen was looking for a way to make use of excess food from the restaurant’s catering operation.
He approached the food bank with the idea of turning that food into pre-packaged meals while donating the restaurant’s labour and time.
“It obviously has a high need and demand in the city, and there are lots of less fortunate people who can use the program, and we’re happy we can partner and help out,” he said.
The program has since grown beyond using catering leftovers. Petersen said The Blend now brings in products specifically for the meals and works with the food bank to decide what would best suit its clients.
One example is a meal of chicken breast, rice and vegetables. The portions are frozen, vacuum-sealed, dated and labelled.
Petersen said the restaurant generally prepares the meals in batches of 100 or 200, with about 250 scheduled to go to the food bank on the day of his interview.
The food bank is also testing different options as it receives feedback from clients.
Katerynych said she has asked for gluten-free and vegetarian meals to accommodate different dietary needs. Some ideas have worked better than others – a breakfast option, for example, did not thaw and reheat well.
The prepared meals are not meant to replace regular food hampers for everyone. Katerynych said some seniors prefer groceries they can prepare themselves, and the food bank adjusts what it provides based on the client.
The $5 price is also not a retail price available to the general public. The meals are distributed through the food bank to its clients, with The Blend contributing the portion of the cost not covered by the $5 sponsorship.
People who want to support the program can do so through The Blend or the food bank. Petersen said donors are generally asked to sponsor batches of 50 or 100 meals, costing $250 or $500.
Katerynych said the food bank has no core funding and relies heavily on residents and businesses for support.
She hopes the meal partnership can eventually become something clients can count on regularly.
“We would ideally like to do it continuously so that we have these meals for the seniors when they do come through,” she said.
“We want to make sure nobody goes hungry.”
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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com
