‘Grow A Row’ for Meals on Wheels
It’s Monday afternoon, and three volunteers are making hundreds of sandwiches. The lettuce that they are using? Fresh from the garden. A generous gardener came in with a donation of leafy greens, and the kitchen team wasted no time in putting the donation to good use.
For the past several years, Edmonton Meals on Wheels has relied on the generosity of local green thumbs. The notfor-profit agency makes over 760 meals each week day. They strive to create delicious meals for those they serve. All while keeping the costs low and ingredients fresh. Their Grow a Row initiative helps them do just that.
“The Grow A Row program is invaluable for us,” said Liz Tondu, Executive Director. “We’re able to incorporate the produce donations into all areas of our meals – side dishes, main entrees, desserts, and soups. Keeping our food costs low is important. Most of our clients are on a fixed income. They rely on the affordable prices of our Daily Meals, which have not been raised since 1995.”
From leafy greens, to fresh herbs, and rhubarb, the Meals on Wheels kitchen accepts all kinds of homegrown produce. The kitchen staff and volunteers can process the donations as soon as they come in. Sometimes the donations are used right away – like the lettuce in the sandwiches. Other times it’s processed and frozen, to be used at a later date. This enables the kitchen team to create unique dishes throughout the year. Dishes they wouldn’t be able to create without the help of the Grow a Row donors.
“I love seeing what donations come in each day” says Kitchen Supervisor, Jason Turner. “It lets me be creative with fresh ingredients we would not normally purchase, like rhubarb. I’m able to use it for desserts like rhubarb crisp. Or sauces like a rhubarb and onion compote for pork loins.”
In 2018, over 5,500 lbs. of homegrown produce was donated to the Meals on Wheels kitchen. As client numbers continue to grow, the agency is hoping to exceed that number in 2019. This will help offset the cost of producing large quantities of quality meals. From sandwiches to soups; apple sauce to Shepherd’s Pie, the produce donations are incorporated into many different meal items. The fresh, homegrown ingredients don’t go to waste. The kitchen team is flexible and often tweaks the menu to make use of the produce donations.
“Every time we get lettuce in, we revamp our menu in order to use it as soon as possible. That way, our clients can get the freshest garden produce in their meal” says Turner.
It’s the clients the agency serves that are truly benefitting from the homegrown donations. The typical Meals on Wheels client is homebound. Due to mobility or medical issues, they can’t easily get out to the grocery store, or safely cook for themselves. They rely on Meals on Wheels for their food. Wanting to ensure they are producing the highest quality meals they can, the agency is turning to the community for help.
If you have any freshly grown produce that you would like to donate to Edmonton Meals on Wheels, bring it to their office (11111 103 Avenue) between 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding statutory holidays. Please email Edmonton Meals on Wheels at emow@mealsonwheelsedmonton.org for more information about dropping off your homegrown donations.