'We would never let a senior go hungry': Cape Breton agencies help the vulnerable

Louise Smith-MacDonald is using a tried-and-true method for keeping in touch with some clients of Every Woman's Centre in Sydney these days.

She's writing them a note and dropping it in the mail.

MacDonald said it's the only way to stay in touch with clients who have no internet and no phone. Restrictions around COVID-19 have eliminated face-to-face visits at the centre, which offers support for vulnerable women.

"We're saying, we're thinking of you, and if you need anything, get in touch with us," said MacDonald, the centre's executive director.

"People are very anxious, very concerned about what's going on."

Agencies dealing with vulnerable populations across the Cape Breton Regional Municipality are changing the ways they deliver services.

The demand for food delivered by New Dawn's Meals on Wheels in Sydney, for instance, has jumped from about 300 meals a week to nearly 470.

The service now delivers to the Cape Breton Cancer Centre and a long-term facility, in addition to seniors.

Manager Claire Turpin said the organization has changed procedures so that volunteers are able to collect the meals from outside the kitchen and deliver them without personal contact. 

"I keep calling it a 'nicky-nicky-nine-door'-type of delivery, because we knock on the door and then run before anyone actually has that interaction," said Turpin.

Turpin said an important element of the Meals on Wheels service is maintaining a connection with seniors.

She said some volunteers no longer doing deliveries have now formed a telephone tree to make those connections, and are reaching out to clients two or three times a week.

'Challenging for everybody'

"The social isolation at this time has been challenging for everybody," said Turpin. "So it's kind of nice to have someone call and check on you for a couple of minutes to see if there's anything we can do for them."

Turpin said a couple of clients contacted them to say they can't afford the service right now. But a subsidy helps cover the extra costs, she said.

"We would never let a senior go hungry and not get meals because of an unexpected cost."

Turpin said adding a grocery service is under consideration. That would allow volunteers to deliver essential dry goods to seniors and families unable to get to the stores.

Many families are worried about increased food bills during the crisis, according to Joanna Latulippe-Rochon, the executive director of the Cape Breton Family Place Resource Centre in Sydney.

The centre serves about 350 families each week.

She said children are at home all day and eating more with schools and breakfast programs closed.

"People are nervous the food won't last as long as it normally would."

No cash, no oil

Latulippe-Rochon said some families are also finding it challenging to keep their homes warm, as some oil companies have started refusing cash payments during the pandemic.  She said that's a problem for people who either don't have, or can't get, credit cards.

"For many of us, we don't think about operating in cash anymore," she said. "But there certainly are families that still deal in cash and when we start putting limits on that, it becomes very difficult for people."

Latulippe-Rochon said staff are helping out by collecting cash from the families, and then paying for oil by credit card.

She said staff are also picking up grocery orders for parents who can't arrange transportation or child care. This week, she said, the centre is delivering activity kits to families to help keep children entertained.

Stock of groceries, cleaning supplies

At Every Woman's Centre, there's a stock of groceries, personal-care items and cleaning supplies for women to access. 

Workers are also staying in touch with clients by phone as much as possible, said Smith-MacDonald.  She said the centre is getting calls from people who have never called before, and are expecting that need will grow in the coming weeks.

Smith-MacDonald said she worries about women who are "very isolated" and those who may be at increased risk of domestic violence as people spend much more time at home.

She urged anyone who needs help to reach out.

But she said everyone can play a part in helping the most vulnerable cope.

"Be encouraging to your neighbours and your neighbourhood, and wave across the street," she said. "Try and find some happy spot in your life right now."