Club volunteers honored

QUEENIE HAMOVICH SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

The Vancouver Seniors Lunch Club (formerly Wheels to Kosher Meals) is now celebrating its fifth year in existence. Created in the fall of l997 to help seniors alleviate loneliness and social isolation, it now serves approximately 35 people every week. Volunteers bring these seniors to the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver (JCC) every Tuesday at noon for a hot, kosher luncheon and return them home.

Proper nutrition is of primary importance to the planners of the lunch as well as a comfortable social environment that allows these seniors to reunite with their peers in the Jewish community. Both contribute to a better quality of life for all involved.

On May l4, a volunteer appreciation day was held to honor the volunteers whose contributions make the program viable and such an important weekly event. They were recognized with a gift by the Jewish Family Service Agency (JFSA) for their dedication and loyalty. That day, they sat down and enjoyed lunch with the seniors, while being served by the staff of the seniors department of the agency. Even JFSA executive director Joseph Kahn-Tietz got in on the act.

Volunteers are used in two capacities for this program – as servers and as drivers - and their participation is an integral part of its success. Among the current group, there are volunteers who have been there from the inception and others who have begun in the last couple of years. All have one thing in common – they are contributing to a most enjoyable afternoon for the seniors.

They also generally agree that they themselves are personally benefiting from this experience. One volunteer commented that being a volunteer has added another dimension to her life, while another spoke of how the participants themselves inspire her.

The Vancouver Seniors Lunch Club originated out of a vision of the seniors co-ordinators committee and is now jointly sponsored by the JFSA and the JCC. Programming often follows the lunch itself, with presentations by musical goups, current affairs discussions and speakers on health and related issues. Anyone interested in being a volunteer driver or any senior interested in participating in the lunch should contact the JFSA at 604-257-5151.

Queenie Hamovich is the Vancouver Seniors Lunch Club co-ordinator.

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