After two bumpy years, Meals on Wheels is rolling again.
For years, Cheers Restaurant was the engine that powered the non-profit organization.
Chefs at the Lower Lonsdale eatery cooked the food that volunteers packaged and drivers dropped off for older folks, sleep-deprived parents, patients on the mend, or anybody else who needed a hot meal.
But when Cheers served their last dish a little more than two years ago, Meals on Wheels was left to roam the North Shore for a new food source, recalls North Shore Meals on Wheels vice-president Lesley Blok.
Cheers provided soup, a roll, the main course and dessert for $6.50, likely not making a dime from the arrangement, Blok notes. But finding another community-minded caterer was a challenge, and Meals on Wheels’ first choice lasted two months.
“They decided it just wasn’t profitable for them,” Blok says.
The Meals on Wheels board briefly considered sharing services with their Vancouver counterpart before concluding gridlock would cool off their hot meals.
“We have to stay on the North Shore because we can’t deal with the bridge,” Blok says.
Eventually, Meals on Wheels embarked on another partnership with a local caterer whom Blok declines to mention by name.
While they couldn’t offer meals for the Cheers price, they did supply good meals – at first.
“The food was so awful we were losing customers hand over fist,” Blok recalls.
And as the food deteriorated the caterer kept asking for more money or a way to cut costs, according to Blok.
There were meetings about the quality of the food, but Meals on Wheels’ kitchen staff still found themselves looking at vegetables that was either mushy or hard and broccoli that was brownish-grey.
“Even our kitchen staff was saying, I can’t, in all good conscience, send this meal out,” Blok says. “By the time we left it was quite a toxic relationship.”
They were charging $7 per meal but paying around $7.50.
Financially, Meals on Wheels needed to raise prices but ethically, Blok says they weren’t willing to charge more until the food improved.
The arrangement started eating into their contingency fund, burning through the $30,000 they’d put away when Cheers was still their supplier.
Knowing they needed to make a change, Meals on Wheels switched caterers for the fourth time in two years, joining up with The Pantry Restaurant.
It’s worked.
“The food is better than ever,” Blok says.
There’s a commitment to excellence in The Pantry’s approach, according to Blok. A board member had assured the chef he didn’t need to enclose a packet of Parmesan cheese with meals. In response, he informed them you need to have Parmesan cheese to properly enjoy his spaghetti. The Parmesan stayed.
Customers who were unhappy with the service are once more enjoying Meals on Wheels, according to Blok.
And by serving better food, Meals on Wheels can do more of what they really do, Blok says.
“We make sure people are OK,” Blok says. “That is the best part of our service.”
Having done her time behind the wheel, Blok knows how important a few minutes of conversation can be for someone feeling isolated.
Meals on Wheels serves about 10,000 entrees each year, according to Blok.
With a crew of dedicated volunteers and steady support from The Pantry, Blok says she’s eager to reach out to anyone who needs a meal know and a few kind words.
Meals on Wheels can be reached at 604-922-3414 or through email at [email protected]
