The Sunshine Club Quilters will bring a bit of colour to the meals of 100 Meals on Wheels clients this Christmas, thanks to their annual donation of hand-quilted placemats.
The quilting club, which meets in one of the lower craft rooms at Echo Centre every Wednesday, works on the placemats year-round. They have been doing this service project for a number of years now, and the number of placemats has gone up from 68 in 2010 to what it is now.
“We always give 100,” one quilter said.
The people receiving Meals on Wheels always appreciate the extra treat of a handmade placemat with their Christmas week meal, says coordinator Janet Buchanan.
“We do between 700–800 meals a month. It stays generally the same because as many people that have visitors coming to visit them, there are others who don’t have family,” she noted. There are other treats that come with the Christmas week meal, but the placemats are coveted.
While meals are not delivered on Christmas Day, there will be drivers out on Boxing Day to ensure clients receive meals, Buchanan explained. Some clients receive meals seven days a week, although the majority of their clients are served either five or three days a week.
Many of their clients are seniors, people who have just been released from the hospital or those who aren’t able to leave their homes. People can contact Meals on Wheels to request their services, and Buchanan will vet each request. The main goal is to keep seniors healthy by feeding them healthy food, she said.
The kitchen staff at Chances RimRock have provided meals to Meals on Wheels for three years now, and they do so at a good price for clients, Buchanan said. The food includes “anything they serve in their restaurant. Without their sponsorship and help we could never put out the meals we do for the price we do,” she added.
“The kitchen does everything they can to make (meals) wonderful.”
Meals on Wheels is always looking for more drivers, especially as they begin planning for next year. Those interested in knowing more can contact Buchanan by phone at 250-730-0390.
Quilters have already begun working on next year’s placemats, spokesperson Barbara Smith said. They already have 22 set aside, on their way to another 100.