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In a nondescript building on Brunswick Boulevard lies a sparkling new Meals on Wheels kitchen. Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, it is a hive of activity as volunteers prepare and deliver homemade meals to senior clients in the West Island. Currently serving around 65 meals twice-weekly, the kitchen will eventually provide service to 150+ clients.

Since opening in May 2025, this Central Kitchen (CK) has served over 3500 meals. The atmosphere in the kitchen is fun and informal with lots of laughter and smiles as volunteers, under the guidance of a chef, prep, cook, bake, and package up meals ready to be delivered by volunteer drivers. A typical meal includes a protein, vegetables, and a starch, each with our very popular home-baked desserts. Vegetarian and diabetic options are also available.

This new kitchen works alongside nine other Meals on Wheels (MOW) kitchens, including those located in Lakeshore Trinity Church on Aurora Avenue and Cedar Park Church on Lakeview Avenue. These dedicated volunteer organizations have long provided outstanding service to many areas of the West Island, serving thousands of meals over the years.

Our CK volunteers come from all walks of life; some have kitchen experience and some don’t, and some prefer to cook and some prefer to drive, but they all love working at the CK! In the kitchen, Kathy volunteers because “it’s an opportunity to meet wonderful new people and to learn new recipes,” Linda volunteers because she “enjoys helping others in my community,” and Kevin volunteers because “it lowers my stress level…and I get free snacks!” Glenn, a volunteer driver, says, “It’s rewarding; I enjoy connecting with the people.”

In these days of Uber Eats and Doordash, what is so special about Meals on Wheels, and why is it still needed? Most of our clients are referred to us by healthcare workers and a few come by direct referral. Most are isolated seniors who are finding it hard to cook for themselves and who have little or no local support and see few, if any, people during their week. And this is the other critical part of MOW; twice a week, they get a visit from a smiling volunteer who not only brings them their meal but also does a quick check to see how they are doing. Over time, our volunteers get to know the clients and are quick to let us know if they have concerns about them or see a change in their health or circumstances. In such cases, we contact the relevant people and ensure that the client is taken care of.

Clients, in turn, love MOW, saying, for example, “I am very grateful to the chef, the volunteers, everyone,” and “I have no words to express how great they [volunteers] are.” We also hear, “The desserts are really good!” and “It helps a lot!”

These comments show the real magic of MOW and the Central Kitchen: delivery of good food with care and compassion, thus helping seniors maintain their health and independence while remaining in the comfort of their own homes.

Hilary Jones is the project coordinator at the Central Kitchen.

For more information about the Central Kitchen, or to become a volunteer or client, please contact Volunteer West Island, who run the kitchen, at www.cabvwi.org or by telephone at (514) 457-5445.