Lou Blackburn and Linda Rosner have been cooking and catering together for decades.
In the 1980s they catered for the Cattlemen’s Association, 500 people at the Civic Centre. They have been taking turns cooking for the seniors' weekly Wednesday lunches, but Lou is turning 90 next year so she and Linda, her daughter, did their last lunch together in June.
The meals for seniors are all quality and eagerly greeted and enjoyed for their element of surprise. There is a variety for everyone and a volume that allows leftovers to be sold to take home. Lou and her daughter’s last lunch main entree was mustard-glazed meatloaf for 80 people.
Long ago, Shirley Reitsma and Lou enjoyed bringing meals to elderly people in the community through Meals on Wheels. Shirley is 88 and has been organizing and delivering meals as far back as memory serves. Meals were prepared at the hospital or the Bulkley Lodge.
Shirley said frozen meals have been brought in, thawed and warmed at the Lodge for Meals on Wheels. She added it is her wish to have home-cooked meals prepared here locally by our own people.
“If only we could go back to finding a way to prepare our meals in our community. The Lodge, the Meadows and the hospital all have kitchens,” she stated, adding seniors deserve better food.
She also said that the meals at the Meadows are wonderful.
In Shirley’s memory, it was Flora Stokes who started Meals on Wheels. Shirley took over as coordinator from Lou.
Each diner had their own needs. A gentleman would be sitting at his own table waiting; or they would arrange the delivery schedule so that the last meal to be delivered was to the person who needed to chat.
The people picking up and delivering the meals are mostly from the churches. Shirley had six groups each taking two months of the calendar year.
Since 2022, Better at Home has been coordinating the distribution by volunteers who deliver the lunches for Meals on Wheels.
Meals on Wheels was started in the UK after WWII and carried on with momentum worldwide. Thankfully it came to our valley with Flora Stokes and the coordination was carried on by Lou Blackburn and Shirley Reitsma.
We have a public health fair coming on October 23. The goal will be to connect us with health services that are offered here.
BCCRN (Community Response Network) Smithers Coordinator, Clara Donelly is coordinating the fair which will be in the Canadian Reformed Church and has invited 17 private health practitioners to present.
Registration at this time has a chiropractor, life coach, physiotherapist and mental health counselor and there will also be a focus on senior health.
The goal is to have a fair that will enable each of us to reach out for anything that will enhance our health. More information will be coming out in the next few months.
Happy 91st birthday week to our beautiful Pat Scott. August 3,1933 was a very special day.
Tomorrow, Aug 9th, Hazel Skinner will be turning 90. Congratulations Hazel! Happy Birthday greetings are sent out to you from a very special friend.
If you have an item that you would like to see in this column, please contact me at 250-847-4414 or email sonja.lester.b.c@gmail.com.
