Pitching in to help feeding area seniors

The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry is pitching in to help a program that is feeding area seniors who have been shut-in as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

County elected officials and staff are taking part in the Regional Emergency Response Council’s program to pack and deliver 1,500 food hampers for seniors in Cornwall and the United Counties who can’t leave their homes.

The United Way/Centraide of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry and the members of the Regional Emergency Response Council were awarded $100,343.00, funded by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. The New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) provides grants and contributions for projects that help improve the well-being of seniors and foster their social inclusion.
“We’re thrilled to be helping our partners to ensure that our most vulnerable are able to access food while remaining in lockdown,” said SDG Warden Frank Prevost, who joined his daughters in packing food hampers Thursday at the Benson Centre in Cornwall. “We also support other ongoing efforts to help our seniors and ensure they have access to programming to ease the burden of the coronavirus pandemic.”

County library staff have offered the use of its large delivery truck to help cart food hampers to strategic locales in SDG where the material is dispersed to those in need. Many local agencies, non-profits and charitable organizations such as the County, Carefor, Seaway Valley Community Health Centre, the City of Cornwall and the Service Clubs of Cornwall to expand the offer related to food access.

If you are a senior and need help accessing food during this crisis, a centralized phone referral program, which begins with a call to 2-1-1, will best guide them to the services that they may need during this crisis. A team of professionals will answer questions and ensure individuals are referred to the right food service, be it Foodbank, grocery delivery, Meals on Wheels, or the new emergency food hamper program that best fits current needs.