Grocery delivery program continues to support seniors
Community Support Services of Niagara has made about 3,000 grocery deliveries since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And it continues to be strong today with help from Ontario Trillium Foundation and a $71,300 grant that has allowed it to serve more than a hundred unique clients and make 800 deliveries since April 2022.
Last week, representatives from the non-profit organization met with Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch and Welland vice-mayor Leo Van Vliet to recognize the impact of the grant from the foundation’s Resilient Communities Fund.
Christine Bottenfield Bissonnette, community development specialist for CSSN, said the funding allowed for an increase in staffing, which in turn has helped keep the program sustainable.
CSSN has facilitated 3,866 grocery delivery orders since starting the program April 1, 2020.
The grant specifically allows for continuation of the program as service requests “keep coming in,” subsidies for delivery fees, the hiring of a driver for deliveries and some equipment to support that, she said.
“We have also developed partnerships with 12 local grocers to ensure equitable access to our clients in all municipalities,” said Bottenfield Bissonnette.
The delivery program supports vulnerable individuals who simply do not have the means to get their own groceries.
Some reasons include physical limitations, transportation not being available and not having a support person to assist with loading and unloading groceries.
Burch said he’s pleased to recognize the results brought on by the grant.
“I shudder to think about what could have happened to the many seniors and other mobility-challenged people in my riding who simply could not have obtained food during pandemic lockdowns had it not been for Community Support Services of Niagara and its grocery delivery program. The service continues to go such a long way toward helping people remain independent and healthy in their own homes,” said Burch in a news release.
The grant has allowed CSSN to build a “strong foundation for the program ensuring its sustainability” post pandemic, the organization said.
The program delivers to seniors as well as adults with disabilities across Niagara.
“The impact of this Ontario Trillium Foundation grant cannot be undervalued,” said Carolyn Askeland, executive director of CSSN, in a news release.
“It has allowed CSSN to assist seniors and adults with disabilities maintain health and well-being by supporting them in accessing nutritional food. Often clients do not have the social supports to assist them in accessing groceries and/or have health and mobility issues that impede their ability to do it independently,” said Askeland.