Bala Meals on Wheels

Bala Meals on Wheels Dinner Remembers Dr. Krawetz When Chef Ken Bol was planning a Rainbow Trout dinner for our Meals on Wheels clients a several weeks ago, Ken thought about how much the late Mike Krawetz would have loved this fish dinner. The Rainbow Trout from Manitoulin Island, oven-roasted new potatoes and buttered new carrots were all chosen to honour Bala's beloved Doctor who passed away July 16th. Thank you Mike for serving our community so well.

Putting a Face on the Harry Debes Family Foundation It is time we paid tribute to two wonderful people, Harry and Mary Ann Debes, whose sponsorship of Bala & Area Meals on Wheels means that our operating expenses and insurance are paid for. The Foundation also subsidizes the meals sent out to our clients in Walker's Point, Torrance, Bala, Glen Orchard and Port Carling, making meals affordable. Bless you Harry & Mary Ann for all that you contribute.

Bala and Area Meals on Wheels celebrated a big anniversary last Friday with the help of Trinity All Saints Anglican Church. Read all about it.

We are so thankful that two (yes 2!) volunteers have asked to be Drivers for Bala Meals on Wheels. Thank you everyone who was thinking of applying and thanks especially to the 2 who are becoming part of our Meals on Wheels family! We feel blessed!

1 Volunteer Driver Found, 1 More Needed Bala & Area Meals on Wheels is delighted to have a new Volunteer Driver respond to our 'job vacancy'. We could also use a 2nd or Alternate Driver to fill in if a driver is unable to deliver. If you would like to 'give back' to the community phone Jack & Linda at 705-762-5876 or email [email protected] Bless you!

Volunteer Opportunity Bala & Area Meals on Wheels has an opportunity for someone to 'give back to the community' by becoming a Volunteer Driver. The driving would be 2 days a month (Monday & Friday at 4:30 pm according to a schedule). Meals are picked up at Bala Bay Take Away and delivered to Bala, Torrance & near the Cranberry marsh. Because of Covid-19 a mask must be worn, hands sanitized and the meal(s) left on the porch or doorstep for 5 or 6 households. Please email Jack & Linda at [email protected], phone (705-762-5876) or message us for more details. Feel good about yourself & volunteer.

It is wonderful that South Muskoka Memorial Hospital's Social Workers contact us if they have a patient being discharged from the hospital who could benefit from Meals on Wheels. We have a new client today who is going to enjoy Bala & Area Meals on Wheels due to that connection. Our new client will be left a hot 3 course meal prepared by Chef Ken Bol at approximately 5 pm. The meal will cost 6.50 (almost 1/2 the actual cost) thanks to donors such as H. Debes Family Foundation, Port Carling Lions, Bala Cranberry Festival, Trinity All Saints & First Muskoka Congregational church.

Special Treat of Creme Brulee A few weeks ago Bala & Area Meals on Wheel's Chef Ken Bol surprised our recipients with a dessert fit for Royalty - Creme Brulee! The photo below is actually one of Ken's delicious creations. We can't guarantee Creme Brulee ever again but we can guarantee delicious soups, salads, main courses & desserts for the nominal fee of $6.50. Thank you H. Debes Family, Port Carling Lions, Bala Cranberry Festival, All Saints Anglican & First Muskoka Congrega- tional Churches for supporting us & keeping our costs down!

Thank You Means the World! Yesterday a note arrived from a recipient of Bala Meals on Wheels which makes volunteering worthwhile. The writer addressed Ken & Tiffany (Bol, who make our gourmet meals) and all the helpers. The writer exclaimed how much they were enjoying the meals and signed off with a great big Thank You and signed with quote Love before the signature.

The 36th anniversary of Bala and Area Meals on Wheels is at hand. Proud that we are still able to serve 7 clients in Bala, Torrance and even Gravenhurst!

Once Upon a Time 2 friends, Kathy Woodward and Linda Jackson (later Jackson-Hutton), worried about seniors in Bala existing on tea & toast. Together they decided to look into starting Meals on Wheels for Bala & Area. They studied how the program was handled in Bracebridge, MacTier, Gravenhurst and Huntsville. Then they approached , thru speaking engagements, churches in Bala, the Bala Lions & Lioness Clubs and the Bala Legion. With their support it was decided to apply for... a New Horizon Grant for seniors . Success! The funding called for a Board run by seniors and neither Kathy or Linda qualified! They, however could be volunteer drivers. Months before the funding money arrived, Ed & Beverley Nation of Roselawn Lodge held a sold-out Prime Rib Roast Beef dinner and donated over $3,000 to the cause for start-up money. On June 26th,1984 nine hot meals left the Sunset Restaurant run by the Amos family (where the Moon River Lookout is located today). Drivers had 3 routes- Torrance, Bala and north of Bala. Today, as Bala Meals on Wheels approaches its 36th anniversary there are 9 recipients from Bala & Port Carling receiving hot meals prepared by Chef Ken Bol and Linda continues to oversee the program, supported by her husband Jack. See more

$300 Donation from Port Carling Lions Club As Treasurer of Bala & Area Meals on Wheels, Linda was delighted to receive a letter plus cheque from Lion Treasurer Bev Hyatt recently. The enclosed cheque helps us to expand once again to serve Port Carling - an important task during Covid-19..

CHEF KEN BOL BRINGS AWARD-WINNING KITCHEN SKILLS TO BALA MEALS ON WHEELS By Jack and Linda Hutton We are so grateful to the community-minded restaurants in our little town of Bala. Nicky Richard and the Hook n Ladder kept our program alive for more than three years. Jacinta Cowan and husband Dave Fisher have given us great support from the Bala Falls Pub.... On Monday, March 23rd, Ken, the award-winning head chef and co-owner of the Moon River Look-out, took over the helm. That is front page news for a couple of reasons. First, the Moon River Lookout has been one of Muskokas top carriage class restaurants for years, a dining location that you choose for the most special occasions in your life. Secondly, the restaurants location next to the Kee to Bala is exactly where Bala and Meals started on a June day in 1984. Ken and Tiffany Bol have been giving to Bala in a succession of roles as long as we have known them, rescuing our local Chamber of Commerce when it almost folded in the 1990s, breathing new life into the Bala Cranberry Festival, keeping the Bala Falls Hotel alive, and encouraging youth activities. Who would have guessed that this dynamic duo would step up to the plate on behalf of Bala and Area Meals on Wheels in the middle of a world-wide pandemic, and also at the same time that they were starting yet another restaurant? The Bols have turned the former Beejays Grill into the Bala Bay Takeaway Restaurant almost opposite the LCBO store on the main street. Our wonderful drivers are picking up the meals now on Mondays and Fridays at the Takeaway Restaurant, following all precautions that the Red Cross has recommended during the coronavirus challenge. Having a world-class chef like Ken Bol has produced surprises. Our Meals on Wheels folks enjoyed baked Arctic Char on Good Friday, followed by a sweet ham dinner on the following Monday. If you know of couples or individuals in the Bala/Torrance area or nearby who could benefit from Meals on Wheels, call Linda at 705-762-5876. OUR PHOTO: Ken and Tiffany Bol were recently highlighted in print by Muskoka Region.Com.

Thanks to Jacinta and Dave of the Bala Falls Pub for providing wonderful meals for our recipients the past 2 weeks. Everyone appreciated them immensely. You have wee angel wings sprouting on your backs!

Bala and Area Meals on Wheels will be following directives used by the Red Cross for Gravenhurst & Bracebridge Meals on Wheels during the corona virus. Our volunteer drivers will be sanitizing hands before each & every delivery. Only drivers who are feeling well will be allowed to deliver. Drivers will not enter the homes of clients who are not feeling well- meals will be left on the doorstep. Stay well!

BALA MEALS on WHEELS THANKS PORT CARLING LIONS Jack & Linda had an opportunity last night at a Port Carling Lions Club dinner meeting to thank them for their support in 2019. After a Power Point presentation of the history of Bala & Area Meals on Wheels, President Byron Coker accepted an appreciation certificate for their generous $1,500 donation.

Bala and Area Meals on Wheels is so proud to still be serving clients for 35 years. If you are in a situation where cooking or grocery shopping is difficult, if illness or recuperation mean you cant get out, then Bala Meals on Wheels will deliver fresh, chilled meals to your home in Bala, Torrance, Glen Orchard or Port Carling. Phone 705-762-5876 to learn more.

Look what people are saying about Troy. Troy should be Balas Citizen-of-the-Year! (Jack and Linda)

By Linda and Jack Hutton Tuesday, February 18th, was a very special day at the Moon River Lookout in Bala. Roughly 15 people gathered together to celebrate the... 35th anniversary of Bala and Area Meals on Wheels in the same location that it all began. The first meals delivered on June 26th, 1984, came from the kitchen of the Sunset Restaurant which was in the building that is now the Moon River Lookout. We are so grateful to Ken and Tiffany Bol, owners of the Moon River Lookout for hosting the gathering and sharing gourmet nibbles along with chef Kens famous vegetable soup. It was a day to recognize and thank the drivers who turn out in rain, sunshine, snow squalls and any other weather to deliver meals from the Hook n Ladder Restaurant to our clients who currently include two veterans of World War II. It was also a day to thank supporters of Bala Meals on Wheels who make it possible for the program to continue through their financial donations. Not all were able to be present but that included the Bala United Church, Trinity All-Saints Anglican Church, the First Muskoka Congregational Church, the Port Carling Lions Club, and Troy Braithwaite, owner of Bala Taxi. We were also sorry that Nicky Richard was unable to join us as the owner of the Hook n Ladder Restaurant which has made the whole Meals on Wheels program possible. The gathering saw a Powerpoint presentation that went all the way back to the beginnings of the Bala Meals on Wheels program in 1984 when Linda Jackson-Hutton and a friend, Kathy Woodward, successfully applied for a provincial grant to start the Meals on Wheels program. Linda, who narrated the historical presentation, has been involved ever since. The meeting heard that Ed and Beverly Nation from Roselawn Lodge invited the town to a prime beef dinner and donated every penny (more than $3,000!) to get the Bala Meals on Wheels program off the ground in the spring of 1984. What an incredible gesture on their part! It is time we remembered it. The highlights of the Moon River Lookout can be found in the accompanying photos. A future meeting will look at the possibilities of forming a community board to continue the Meals on Wheels program that Linda started 35 years ago. Enjoy!

A NEWSPAPER PHOTO BRINGS ALIVE 35 YEARS OF MEALS ON WHEELS IN BALA AND AREA! By Linda and Jack Hutton Take a good look at the 10 wonderful people in this fading Gravenhurst newspaper photo from the spring of 1984. We shared it this week at a Moon River Lookout gathering to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Meals on Wheels in our area.... You are looking at the first community board elected to oversee Bala Meals on Wheels, which had its first delivery on June 26th, 1984. The meals were prepared by the Sunset Restaurant which was run by Alan and Irene Amos in the building which is now the Moon River Lookout, run by Ken and Tiffany Bol. The group of 10 are standing to the right of what is now Trinity All-Saints Anglican Church. Left to right, they are Art Fitzpatrick from Torrance, Nettie Whitehead whose husband Larry was principal of Bala Public School, Audrey Westover, Edna Templeton, Elsie McClelland, Ada Goltz, Marg Pomfrey, Ding Shumaker (long-time Bala librarian), Dave MacDonald and Jan Meendering. This was the first slide in a Powerpoint presentation at the Moon River Lookout this week, with Linda Jackson-Hutton doing the historical narration. Linda and a good friend saw the need for Meals on Wheels in 1984 and successfully applied for provincial grants to start it in Bala. Linda, who has been involved with Meals on Wheels ever since then, organized the Moon River Lookout gathering to begin a discussion on the future of the Meals on Wheels program in Bala and surrounding area.

THE BIRTHDAY THAT KEEPS ON GIVING (Linda here) I was over the moon yesterday with 4 cheques for Meals on Wheels that arrived in the mail. It felt like birthday presents for the organization I co-founded 35 years ago and continue to support. This money will help pay the restaurant and keep meal prices very affordable for our clients. Sending hugs to you all!

On the eve of my Feb 3rd birthday I have decided to make an appeal to help Bala Meals on Wheels. 35 years ago I asked my dear friend Kathy to help me start it.... (too many seniors were existing on tea and toast). Bala Meals on Wheels continues to this day delivering fresh, nutritious meals at an affordable price. We fund raise to make up the difference between what recipients pay and the actual cost. If you would like to help we accept old fashioned cheques made out to Bala Meals on Meals. Mailing address is Bala Meals on Wheels, Box 14, Bala, ON P0C 1A0. Thanks for giving me a wonderful birthday! See more

North Johnston recently presented a cheque to Jack on behalf of the Bala Cranberry Festival to help support Bala and Area Meals on Wheels during the coming year. Our Meals on Wheels program was one of many presentations made to community groups at a special evening at Balas Stone Church. A big round of applause and thanks for the Bala Cranberry Festival"s board of directors!

THIS CHRISTMAS PHOTO SAYS IT ALL Two days before Christmas we took this photo of Allan Turnbull, perhaps our longest serving Meals on Wheels volunteer, as he headed off to deliver Meals on Wheels. With him are Nicky Richard, whose restaurant, Hook n Ladder, makes our whole Meals on Wheels program possible, and Dave Fraser from her kitchen. Without Nicky and her great staff, Bala and Area Meals on Wheels could not exist. We are so proud of volunteers like Allan who has d...one so much for Bala. In the early 1990s he served several terms as president of the Bala Chamber of Commerce and laid the groundwork for everything that has followed since then. As a chartered accountant, he has served as the unpaid treasurer for many community groups for many years. In 1993 he and his father in England provided a link to Bala, Wales, to make twinning possible between our two towns. Allan keeps serving Bala over and over and we are proud to have him with us. That is the Christmas story behind this photograph. We wish each and every one of you Merry Christmas and all the best in this coming year. :Linda and Jack Hutton and all our volunteer drivers

HOLLY DELIVERS MEALS ON WHEELS THIS FRIDAY FOR THE LAST TIME AFTER EIGHT YEARS Give Holly Elliott a hug if you see her at Hook & Ladder Restaurant around 11:30 am this Friday (Nov. 20, 2019). She will be delivering Meals and Wheels for the last time on behalf of the wonderful Anglican congregation in Bala. For the last eight years she has come from her home on Echo Lake to deliver through every type of Muskoka weather. There were many winter mornings when she thought her ...steep driveway off Ridge Road might be too slippery after an overnight freeze. That never once stopped her. She has finally decided to pass on the torch to someone else. We salute Holly and all the other Meals on Wheels drivers who have kept the Bala and Area Meals on Wheels program alive for more than 30 years. Thanks to them, it will continue for many more years!

WE ARE GROWING Amazing to see that Bala & Area Meals on Wheels has grown over the past year by 400%. Wonderful to know that so many clients are getting nutritious, affordable meals in Bala, Port Carling and Torrance. Call us at 705-762-5876 if you would like meals.

PORT CARLING LIONS DONATE Bala Meals on Wheels depends on local churches, the Bala Cranberry Festival and the Port Carling Lions to subsidize our meals. Thanks to a recent $500 donation from the Lions Club we can continue to keep the cost of the meals at a very affordable amount for our clients. Thanks you Lions!! By the way, Bala Meals on Wheels will arrange delivery to clients in the Port Carling area, Torrance and of course, Bala.

YARD SALE DONATION Recently Nora and Dave Goltz gave yard sale customers a chance to give their change to Bala Meals on Wheels. The money they collected will pay for 4 meals. What a thoughtful and kind gesture!

HOOK AND LADDER perpares all our meals. Twice a week The Hook in Bala makes our nutritious meals including soup or salad, entree and dessert. Many of our clients receive 2 or even 3 different chilled meals on delivery days of Monday and Friday. If you are recovering from surgery, if you are having trouble grocery shopping and preparing meals, Bala Meals on Wheels is there for you! 705-762-5876.

A MOST GENEROUS TROY BRAITHWAUTE (Mr. Bala Taxi) donated $200 to Bala Meals on Wheels after a fundraising effort where he and his wife Cindy prepared an authentic Carribean dinner in March. Proceeds also went to the West Muskoka Food Bank and the Breakfast Club at Glen Orchard Public School. Bala Meals on Wheels clients will recognize Troy as the ever-smiling guy that delivers our Meals on Wheels to Port Carling. God bless you Troy!

NUMBER of MEALS for MARCH SETS RECORD The need for fresh, nutritious meals continues to grow in Bala & Port Carling. In March 121 meals were delivered! Meals are subsidized by Bala Cranberry Festival, Port Carling Lions, First Muskoka Congregational Church, Bala Taxi, Trinity All Saints Anglican Church and Bala United Church Women. Thanks to all who have contributed and will continue to contribute in the future.

TRINITY ALL SAINTS ANGLICAN CHURCH DONATES The church community in and around Bala continues to support us. Trinity All Saints blessed us with a $500 donation recently. Thank you Rev. Heather Manuel for taking the initiative on this. The donation goes a long way towards paying our annual Meals on Wheels Insurance.

STEEL DRUM NIGHT IN BALA WILL HELP MEALS ON WHEELS Folks in Bala are looking forward to an evening of steel drum music and Caribbean food this Saturday night, March 9th, at the Bala Legion (6:00 pm-9pm). Troy Brathwaute, the owner of Bala Taxi, who came to Bala recently from Barbados, planned the evening as a great way to usher in spring. "If you cant go to the Caribbean, the Caribbean can come to you, mon," he says. Were excited because Troy will be donating part of the evenings profits to Bala Meals on Wheels Tickets are $30 and available at the Legion or by calling Bala Taxi at 705-205-0876. The great food includes macaroni pie, coconut curry, Jamaican jerk BBQ, tossed salads and cheesecake. Steel drummer Earl La Pierre is flying from Barbados to Toronto for the occasion.

It is very humbling to see how much the community is rallying around Bala Meals on Wheels. Two months ago we could barely pay for the meals. Now we have a nest egg and are starting to save for a huge expense come summer- insurance. Thanks ever so much to the Bala United Church Women who have presented a cheque for $500. Special thanks goes to Eva Moore, Chairperson of the Bala UCW, who made our situation and need known to the rest of her group. Eva is shown here presenting the cheque to Linda Jackson-Hutton.Thank you Bala U.C.W. ladies for blessing Meals on Wheels!

A BLESSED DONATION Our church (First Muskoka Congregational) has blessed Bala Meals on Wheels with a $300 donation. Thank you Pastor John and the Board of Elders for designating mission funds to a very local need. The funds will be used to help subsidize the more than 90 meals per month currently being prepared by the Hook and Ladder Restaurant.

BIG BOOST FROM LIONS CLUB We were thrilled to receive a $1,000 cheque from the Lions Club of Port Carling on Wednesday, Jan. 30th. The money will go to subsidizing meals for our recipients and represents one-quarter of our fund-raising needs for 2019, which means that Linda is sleeping better at night now. We are currently delivering more than 90 meals a month. Thanks to Lions president Cathy Duck for this great support. In the photo with Linda are Lions Herv and Byron.

DIANE IS THE CHEF BEHIND OUR BALA MEALS ON WHEELS! Meet Diane Lamoreaux. She is the angel who creates the meals for our Meals on Wheels program at the Hook & Ladder Restaurant in Bala, being extremely careful not to collide with the dietary needs of any client. More than a year ago, she purified every meal for months for a client who had throat cancer. At the beginning of this year, she was preparing more than 90 meals a month, visualizing each client as she did the cooking. Thank you, Diane!

BALA MEALS on WHEELS aka Jack and Linda, wish all our Clients, Volunteer Drivers and folks at the Hook and Ladder Restaurant a healthy, happy and family-filled Christmas and New year. The Christmas greeting was designed and cross-stitched by Linda. Merry Christmas!!

IT FELT LIKE CHRISTMAS! Our wonderful Bala Cranberry Festival came thru Big Time ( $1500) with a cheque for Bala Meals on Wheels this week. Their support means we can continue charging our clients just a fraction of the actual cost per meal. Thanks Cranberry Festival.

Bala Meals on Wheels has its own Facebook page. Welcome! Feel free to contact us at 705-762-5876 for more information or how to donate.