Fall 2008 - Centre d`action bénévole de Montréal

Bulletin de liaison du Bureau central
des Services alimentaires bénévoles
Food for
thought
Newsletter of the Volunteer
Food Services Central Office
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Eligibility guidelines
for Meals-on-Wheels clients
We often receive requests
working for a CLSC or a hospital,
understands what Meals-onto clarify eligibility guidelines or by a doctor or a member of Wheels is;
for Meals-on-Wheels – Here is a the clergy. In some cases, other • the community worker should
reminder:
sources of referrals, such as cominform the client that he or she
To receive Meals-on-Wheels ser- munity centres, are acceptable.
has been referred to Meals-onvice, the potential client must have
Wheels;
a clearly identified need due to Other factors which can deter- • clients requiring kosher
one or more of the following cir- mine priority of service include
meals should be referred
cumstances:
the following:
to the Cummings Centre at
• being in a situation of reduced • the client’s inability to prepare
514.342.1234;
autonomy, that is, having become
suitable well-balanced meals; • the CLSC should re-evaluate cliless able to provide for his or her • the impossibility of finding
ents’ needs after from six months
own needs without assistance;
someone in the client’s circle
to one year of service.
• being in a period of convalescence
of family or friends who can
following surgery or hospitaprepare meals;
The Meals-on-Wheels Central Office
lization;
• the client’s ability to feed him– or will keep clients on a waiting list
• suffering from a physical or cogniherself if meals are delivered;
for a maximum of two months. If
tive disability.
• the client’s living quarters not we have not succeeded in placing
being equipped for storing the client by then, the commuThe potential client’s financial
food;
nity worker will be advised and
situation and age are not factors • the client’s inability to go out invited to renew the request, if
influencing eligibility for Mealsto eat.
necessary. ■
on-Wheels.
The client should be referred Notes concerning procedures:
to Meals-on-Wheels by a health • the community worker should
or social service professional
make sure the potential client
Cover page:
The cover photos show Marjorie’s
relaxation walk, from downtown to
NDG.
Food for Thought is published by
the Volunteer Food Services Central
Office for Meals-on-Wheels and Lunch
Club volunteers.
Volunteer Food Services
Central Office
Layout: Axel Pérez de León*
2015 Drummond St., Suite 300
Montreal H3G 1W7
Telephone: 514.842.3351
Fax: 514.842.8977
Collaborators: Sylvie P. Valade,
Kevin Cohalan, Elisabeth Dohrendorf*, Marjorie Northrup and
Louise Larivière*
www.cabm.net
info@cabm.net
Coordination: François Lahaise
* Volunteer
The VBM is proud to announce
that Food for Thought is printed
on 100% recycled paper.
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A word from Marjorie
By Marjorie Northrup
Coordinator of Volunteer
Food Services
mnorthrup@cabm.net
Hello all! I hope you have
enjoyed the summer
despite the ubiquitous rain!
Here at the Central office,
the year is unfolding with many
changes.
As most of you are already aware,
Céline has left the bureau after over
20 years of service. At a little reception in our office, we thanked Celine
for her many years with Meals-onWheels and presented her with a
laptop as a farewell gift. We wish
her the best of luck in her new
endeavours.
We have had the pleasure of
welcoming an enthusiastic new
colleague, Sylvie Valade, who is
performing her liaison duties with
great verve. Sylvie, I hope your
career at the Bureau will be long
and fruitful!
As you see in Kevin’s article, he
is leaving us for a well-deserved
retirement after over 20 years
of service. I am saddened at
the departure of a boss, friend
and colleague who has been a
constant source of joy and inspiration for me. If the Volunteer
Food Services are doing well
today, it is largely due to Kevin’s
leadership.
Marjorie with boxer Otis Grant and his father Ken at a New Hope fundraiser
Important date to note in your
agendas- Our annual meeting will
take place on Wednesday, October 22, once again at the Plaza
Hotel. The meeting is a great place
to network , learn and motivate one
another. The convocation and other
details will be mailed shortly.
How do you manage stress in
this more and more complex world?
One of my favourite stressbusters
is to be on constant lookout for the
joys of nature in our urban environment. To ‘decompress’ after work,
I often walk home ( a pleasant onehour stroll), and revisit some of my
favourite urban oases – the cover
illustrations show some of these
lovely spots. Do you have a special
spot you would like to help us discover? We would love to get your
photos and publish them in a further issue of Food for thought.
We warmly welcome several
new groups: Le Carrefour Monrose, in Rosemount, L’Anneau d’or
et d’argent and the Centre ABC in
Saint-Laurent, and the Centre des
bénévoles Ahuntsic Sud.
If you would like to contribute
an article or share some news, we
will joyfully accept your contributions. A bientôt! ■
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A very special volunteer
By Elisabeth Dohrendorf
President of Rosemere
Meals-on-Wheels
Mrs. Jutta Zinzius, a longtime volunteer in Rosemere
who passed away in August, was a
very special volunteer. Jutta worked
with MOW for over 20 years even
through bad times due to illness.
She started helping a friend by making a few calls and scheduling the
cooks for the week, and before you
knew it, she took charge and ran
this part of the organisation very
smoothly. With great diplomacy,
she kept everyone on schedule so
that recipients of Meals-on-Wheels
could receive their meals on time.
Oh, for sure there were times of
emergency, with no cooks showing up but Jutta always kept her
cool !! All was settled by calling her
“spares” as she called them. Jutta
was a firm believer in the values
promoted by volunteerism and
choose to help Meals-on-Wheels
“because I may also need it one day,
so why not give it a little of my
time!” she would often say.
A woman of considerable discretion, Jutta Zinzius worked
relentlessly in the shadows of the
organisation. Her efforts were greatly appreciated by many Rosemerites,
especially clients of Meals-on-Wheels
as well as some patients of retirement homes whom she visited.
Many Meals-on-Wheels volunteers
have appreciated her jovial chats
and good humor while reminding
them of their upcoming duties.
On behalf of all Rosemere citizens and recipients, we express our
condolences to her family. THANK
YOU from all your friends at Rosemere Meals-on-Wheels ■
Au revoir to two faithful friends of
Meals-on-Wheels
We sadly bid au revoir to two exceptional volunteers, Mesdames
Thérèse Gariépy and Pierrette Lévesque, of Saint-Victor Meals-onWheels. Mme Gariepy has been a faithful co-president for 27 years,
and Mme Lévesque for 29 years! What a lovely inspiration for the
future of volunteering in Quebec! Our two friends led the group with
love, tact and diplomacy – they assure us that they will remain available to help during the transition period.
Welcome to the two new leaders, Medames Lise Desgroseillers and
Jocelyne Saloto. A heartfelt thank you, Thérèse and Pierrette. We wish
you best of luck in your new endavours. ■
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Au revoir to Meals-on-Wheels
and Lunch Clubs volunteers
By Kevin Cohalan
and offer training sessions.
But except for our team of twenExecutive Director, Volunteer
ty or so “internal volunteers” — our
Bureau of Montreal
placement counsellors, receptionists, etc. — our actual contact with
kcohalan@cabm.net
volunteers is limited. For the most
Leaving the Volunteer part, the volunteer is a person
Bureau of Montreal after whom we see only once before
22 years as Executive Direc- sending them off to an organizator also, of course, means tion needing their services.
leaving the role I’ve played with
Thanks to our special relationregard to the Volunteer Food Ser- ship with Meals-on-Wheels groups
vices Central Office.
and Lunch Clubs, we never lose
The presence of Meals-on- sight of what it means to be a volWheels and Lunch Clubs within unteer. We’re in constant contact
the Volunteer Bureau gives it a with a network of 1500 of you
special character that it otherwise whose long-time dedication to
wouldn’t have.
the cause you serve is a constant
We work with hundreds and hun- reminder of what volunteering at
dreds of community organizations its best can mean, not only in terms
for whom we recruit volunteers of what volunteers contribute to
their community, but also in seeing
how much the volunteers themselves are people who lead richer
and more productive, meaningful
and satisfying lives thanks to their
commitment.
It’s you, the Meals-on-Wheels
and Lunch Club volunteers, that
help us keep our feet on the ground.
Being as we are part of the “infrastructures” of the community sector,
there’s an ever-present danger of
getting a little too bureaucratic
for our own good. We’re fortunate that you’re always there to
remind us what it means to be a
volunteer.
It’s a privilege for the VBM, and
it’s been a great pleasure for the
last 22 years for me, to be associated with you. ■
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“Petit Bedon” Meals-on-Wheels
– young people and seniors get acquainted!
When intergenerational means loving and caring
By Louise Larivière
Volunteer reporter
Summer is a time when
most people take a break.
For a small but stalwart group
of students, summer means
lending a hand to ensure food
security.
Le Carrefour Saint-Eusèbe, a seniors
center present in the community
for over 25 years, now has a Mealson-Wheels service called “Petit
Bedon”, with an interesting twist:
in the summer season, the meals
are delivered by young people on
bicycles.
These young volunteers, such
as the two I had the pleasure of
meeting, Marilou and Mylène, hail
from the Centre Jeunesse de Montreal. Most are between 15 and
18 years old, and are learning to
live independently. Petit Bedon is
an excellent introduction to the
working world, and to real life.
From Monday to Friday, the Carrefour team prepares between 250
and 300 meals in a community
kitchen, where everyone pitches in to concoct succulent meals.
The young volunteers are part of
the team.
From kitchen to bike, each volunteer is responsible for their route.
The itinerary is long, and no one is
forgotten. In the time it takes to eat
Mylène une jeune femme remplie d’espoir, en pleine action.
lunch, these young volunteers are a where two parallel worlds meet
vital link with the organization.
are enough to renew my faith in
Ther are over 100 Meals-on- life. ■
Wheels groups in Montreal, but
Louise Larivière is a volunteer reporter who
only a small percentage are helped spent
a few weeks with the petit Bedon team.
by young volunteers: it is a chal- Her comments are personal and do not inlenge, but the results are amazing. volve the organization.
Some people may be happily surprised to learn that these teens
are ideal for the job.
When Mylène and Marilou enter
the room, Nicole’s eyes sparkle, her
face relaxes, and a smile blossoms.
And thus, these brief exchanges
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News from Sylvie
By Sylvie P. Valade
inspire me to give the best possible service.
Liason Officer of the Volunteer
In this vein, it is very imporFood Services
tant for me to be aware of any
svalade@cabm.net
improvements you think necessary, anything you might need to
Hello to everyone, and a make your job easier. If you have
big THANK YOU for your any special ideas, please share
warm welcome! Since April, them!
I have been immersed in the wonHere’s a challenge: There will
derful world of Meals-on-Wheels be a suggestion box at the annual
and am feeling very much at home. meeting, please try to bring at
Could it be because I was born in least one suggestion. Be creative,
1966, the year Meals-on-Wheels all ideas will be gratefully acceptbegan in Quebec? Or because my ed! I cannot promise to respond to
mother and Marjorie hail from all requests, but will do my best
the same little Acadian village? to integrate your ideas. Of course,
(funnily enough, we had never those ideas which require Marjomet before I was hired!) Or maybe rie’s attention will be passed on.
because a few years ago I thought
If you cannot attend the meetof starting a meal service in the ing, you can mail or phone in your
Lanaudière village where I used to ideas.
live?
I had the pleasure of attending
Of course, sadness may appear the PRASAB conference this spring.
when listening to certain clients, (PRASAB is the provincial Mealssometimes the sea is choppy on-Wheels association.) I attended
and the current strong, but it is several workshops on various mealyour strength, your courage and related topics. Like you, i am very
your dedication, as well as the concerned about healthy eating
many needs of our clients, which habits, so I enjoyed the nutrition
A few
anniversaries
Congratulations to all !
workshop, but my favorite was a
presentation on happiness in the
workplace. We would be pleased to
organize training sessions on any
topic you might find useful.
I have a suggestion: Send me
your e-mail address and I will reply
with the latest news from the world
of Meals-on-Wheels and seniors.
Thank you for your cooperation! I hope to meet you soon, in
person or by phone. ■
Entraide Ahuntsic-Nord, Vieux-Moulin
and Midi-Express: 20 years
Saint-Émile: 30 years
Saint-Lambert, St. Malachy’s and Ville Mont-Royal: 40 years
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Application for financial aid
Number and name of group ____________________________________________________________
Name of president ____________________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________ Telephone____________________
Number of volunteers ______________ Number of clients _______ Number of meals per week ______
Cost of meal preparation ____________ Price charged __________ Current bank balance __________
Amount of aid requested ____________ Expenses to be covered by aid __________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Signature
Name (please print)
Position in group
Date ____________________________ Please return to: Central Committee
2015 Drummond Street, Suite 300
Montreal H3G 1W7
Application for GST and TVQ refund
When your group buys any GST or TVQ taxable item, it is entitled to a 50% refund on the tax paid. This is because your group, as
part of the Volunteer Bureau’s Meals-on-Wheels and Lunch Club network, shares in the benefits of its status as a registered charitable organization. All you have to do is save your cash register receipts, invoices or other proof of having paid the GST and TVQ and
send them to the VBM with the coupon below.
The VBM’s bookkeeper will take care of your claim and send you the refund to which you’re entitled. In some cases, it might be a
small amount, but it’s your money!
Name and number of group ____________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________ Telephone____________________
To the Volunteer Bureau of Montreal:
Please find enclosed the originals of our cash register receipts, invoices or other proof of payment indicating a total of $_________
paid in GST and TVQ since ________________. We certify that all taxable purchases claimed were made for Meals-on-Wheels or
Lunch Club purposes.
Please include these payments in your next refund claims to Revenue Canada and the Ministère de Revenu du Québec and forward
us the refund to which we are entitled..
Signature
Name (please print)
Position in group
Date ____________________________ Please return to: Central Committee
2015 Drummond Street, Suite 300
Montreal H3G 1W7
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