Clara Cherry has always liked to cook. "My dear husband used to say, we never need to go out for dinner because I like your cooking better," says Cherry with a laugh.
The 87-year-old Dundarave resident now has arthritis and isn't able to shop for her own food, but she's still able to do some of her own cooking thanks to a shopping-and-delivery program run out of the Save-On-Foods at Pemberton Avenue and Marine Drive. Every Tuesday, a team of five personal shoppers call program participants to help them assemble their shopping lists. Then they hit the store to shop and a delivery service brings the food to customers' homes that afternoon.
"There's a big need in the community," says personal shopper Barb McGuinness. "A lot of people don't realize the number of seniors or handicapped people that need help."
The program provides a human touch. "I've worked with people who are on very, very limited money every week," says McGuinness. "Sometimes they'll say, I've got $40 to spend and I can't go over that . . . I'll phone back and say, chicken is on sale today, can you have that instead of something else so that we can make it work with your money?"
While most grocery stores offer home delivery, McGuinness says the personal shopper program meets the needs of people who need extra help. "A lot of them are not in the position where they can come in to the store and pick the food and then have it delivered," says McGuinness. "Some of our clients are visually impaired to the point where they have problems going around and picking the food."
Many clients rely on some prepared meals from the frozen food section, but with the help of the shoppers, they get a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables in their order.
McGuinness and four other personal shoppers have been running the program for more than 10 years. The service started at the Safeway at 15th Street and Marine Drive in West Vancouver. But when that store closed this July, the shopping team went looking for a new home.
They found it at the Save-On-Foods. Store manager Tony Nikic gave the group a back office space (the shoppers are also paid a modest fee). Now the team is trying to get the word out that they're back in business. Before the move, McGuinness says, they used to fill 35-40 orders per week. Now they fill about six orders, and only need two or three personal shoppers on duty. But through word of mouth, the number of clients is growing, and the full team of five shoppers is ready to spring into action when needed.
Cherry says the personal shoppers are "angels in disguise." The service also provides peace of mind for her family, who live in South Surrey and visit often but aren't able to check in on her every day.
"If they don't have family or neighbours who can do things for them, some of them have quite a bit of a problem," says McGuinness. "Some of them have said to us, 'If you weren't there, what would we do?'"
