MULGRAVE: A program which provided food to more than 200 people in this area is being hailed as a success.
The Community Food Connection program – which launched last November and wrapped up on June 11 – provided over 10,000 frozen meals at no cost to participants in Guysborough County, according to organizers.
“In lots of ways, it’s a good news story and it’s a story that brings a lot of attention to problems that people are experiencing as well,” said Al England, the Chair of the Board Directors of the Mulgrave and Area Medical Centre. “We were pleased with the numbers, as a matter of fact, it exceeded our expectations. Then we reached a broad area of the region as well.”
As a result of this success, England said an advisory committee was established with members who worked with and knew seniors in various parts of the country.
“They, in turn, put together and helped develop an overall management, or overall development criteria, of the participants, and also did some referrals of seniors who could benefit from the program,” he explained.
Although surprised at the number of people who used the program, England said the COVID-19 pandemic was a factor.
According to the program’s stakeholders, COVID 19 created new challenges for many seniors and contributed to more social isolation because of lockdowns and restrictions. The group said that access to healthy, nutritious food during a time when many older adults were feeling isolated, having difficulty getting to a grocery store due to health or transportation issues, living with health or mobility issues, or experiencing other barriers and financial difficulties, was a gift to those who had their meals delivered weekly or bi-weekly to their homes.
“The anxiety and the fear of some individuals moving around, getting out and about, some of them probably have mobility issues, health issues, transportation issues, it probably came to light more through the pandemic, but there was a concern there too, prior to the pandemic,” England noted.
England said a report on the program has been submitted to funding partners, including the Department of Communities Culture and Heritage, the New Horizons for Seniors Program, as well as the Department of Seniors.
“It’s fairly extensive, it’s well done, it’s professionally done,” he said. “It involved some surveys of the participants; what they thought about the program, was the program beneficial. And largely it was, it was helpful and really it warmed our hearts to hear some of the comments and realize how beneficial and helpful the program was.”
The Mulgrave and Area Wellness Hub (which includes the Mulgrave and Area Medical Centre) was in charge of administering the program, England said, noting the hub was created for the project.
The medical centre group will take time to review and evaluate the report and identify any opportunities, England said.
“We’d also like to get back to our normal mode of operation, which is providing primary health care out of the vital infrastructure that we have in the community,” he stated. “We lost our Nurse Practitioner almost three years ago, and we’ve been advocating for a replacement for that position, along with other services in the primary health care sector that could be helpful to the residents of the general area, keeping in mind we’re an older population, and we require more services, and we require them closer to home, as opposed to going to outpatient and emergency department. We’re focusing on how do we get back and establish those services again for the benefit of our citizens.”
A charitable organization based in Mulgrave, the wellness hub was established in 1984 and run by a volunteer board of directors. The health centre’s objectives are to address the physical, mental and social health of the community.
England said that they are grateful for the funding support they received, they’re thankful for the success of the program, and are happy to hear about the many people helped by the project. He added hopes that this and other similar programs can continue to help those who need it, given the county has one of the oldest populations in Nova Scotia.
“I suspect there’s a still a need for that type of program, given that 212 people participated over an eight month period,” England added. “We’re not out of the woods yet, with respect to the pandemic. If you listen to some of the health professionals, we’re expecting another wave, so that could necessitate a similar program, in addition to the one that we just concluded.”