A new program through Helping Hands Society of Cochrane & Area is bringing home cooked meals to families in distress.
Meal Team is a partnership with Seniors on the Bow, who supply the commercial kitchen space, and Cochrane Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) who help identify the families in need.
“Honestly, there was a need and we wanted to help fill it,” said David Defries, who brought a team from RockHaven Church for the volunteer opportunity last Sunday.
“Sometime there is a need for food right away and we wanted to help. A big shout out to Helping Hands – I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to help in the community.”
Defries and seven other people from the church spent an afternoon at the Seniors on the Bow Centre on May 28 as a way to team build while making shepherd’s pie and a chicken a spaghetti dishes for families in need.
“I just wanted to help and be a part of the community,” said Julie Bromley who was helping peel potatoes.
“I think it’s good, helping people who are in a difficult time, and it’s a practical way to help.”
Defries said his group contacted the Helping Hands Society before to inquire about how to give back to the community and when presented with the latest option, they thought it would be a good way to bond while helping Cochrane and surrounding area.
“It’s a different volunteer opportunity and it fit the size of our group,” said Paula Defries, who was running around cleaning cutting boards and getting the bell peppers ready to chop.
“I thought it would be fun to cook together and I thought, ‘Man, what a practical way to give help.’”
After doing a pilot run of the program last December, Jackie Shier, executive director of Helping Hands, said the organization decided to go ahead with the Meal Team program and offer it to the public.
“We wanted to create an opportunity for groups to come in and volunteer together. People have groups and want to volunteer at specific times and dates,” Shier explained.
“We did a test run last Christmas to see how it would work and the meals were gone in less than a week.”
“A lot of it has been families whose children are going through cancer or with a parent who is going through cancer,” Shier added.
“The response from the families has been great.”
In addition to being able to choose the date and time (if it works with the Seniors on the Bow schedule), teams are also in charge of buying the groceries and having at least one person with their food safety certificate.
Shier said the volunteer opportunity typically accommodates groups of eight with the ability to make 20 meals in three hours.
For more information, contact organizers at helpinghandscochrane.ca.
