Mise en Place Community Partnership with Meals on Wheels

Since August 2019, Mise en Place has been providing over 100 hot, nutritious meals and soups each week day for persons residing in the districts of George Town and West Bay through the Cayman Islands Meals on Wheels program. Meals on Wheels (MOW) provides meals to seniors, inferm, homebound, disabled and other vulnerable Meals on Wheels across Grand Cayman.

Meals on Wheels has been serving the community for 23 years to provide a balanced nutritious hot meal and a soup to seniors, homebound, disabled and other vulnerable individuals. The daily hot meals are delivered to each home and is often the only source of adequate nutrition for those with insufficient funding, a disability or who are housebound.

For Mise en Place (MEP) Managing Director, Sean Collins the partnership with Meals on Wheels is the companies way of giving back to the community “This is a special partnership for us; we are passionate about the food we create and are pleased to support a programme that feeds, benefits and cares for the most vulnerable in the community.”

Mise en Place not only provides the meals for the clients in West Bay and George Town, but they have also kindly provided a meal collection station, storage areas and have now donated brand new delivery bags, Collins states that “the bags being used were in poor condition so we decided to lead the way in getting new bags for MOW and hope that other companies will follow.”

Jennifer West, General Manager for Meals on Wheels says “In recent weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mise en Place has gone above and beyond even more in their partnership. They have provided a fridge for the volunteer collection areas so that cold water and drinks can be made available for them, they installed a handwashing station for volunteers to ensure that hands could be cleaned before delivering meals and their own kitchen and handling procedures increased because they understand the vulnerability of our clients and have made extreme changes to safeguard them. Every day the amazing staff of MEP carefully prepare and pack hot meals and soups for 14 different delivery routes into thermal bags.

During this coronavirus pandemic they have prepared meals for seniors in all 5 districts. As a part of the MOW contingency plan to continue to provide meals while decreasing the number of volunteers and visits to each house, MEP quickly stepped up to have its sister company “Boxed” assist in making sure seniors would have access to healthy, nutritious meals in their homes on intermittent days when there is no delivery. Collins explains that “Using equipment and technology (blast chilling process) that we have for our sister brand ‘Boxed”, meals are made specifically for MOW.” Having this option is helping MOW continue ensuring that no senior goes hungry, while decreasing the number of visits to the home each week.

Meals on Wheels is currently serving 330 meals per day. MOW relies heavily on the support of public and private funding. During this pandemic, the referral list continues to grow. In practising social distancing, donations can be made online at www.pledgeasenior.ky or direct deposit to “Cayman Islands Meals on Wheels” at Bank of Butterfield account #1361609770021. No donation is too big or small, for just CI$5.00 you can provide a senior with a hot meal and soup.

For volunteer details or sponsorship opportunities with Meals on Wheels, visit their website at www.mealsonwheels.ky, email info@mealsonwheels.ky or call 769-1974 to find out how you can get involved.