Kerri Milne-Rivest was overflowing with gratitude to the community, just one day after sharing that the local Meals on Wheels program was desperate for volunteers.
The coordinator of the local program, run out of the VON office, told her story to BayToday readers in a story that ran midday on Sunday.
See: North Bay Meals on Wheels program desperate for volunteers amid COVID19 situation
She says the response was overwhelming, explaining, "When the team got into work Monday morning, they already had 60 messages waiting on voicemail and by the end of the day we had over 160 calls, and the phones were ringing off the hook."
She says two staff had to be assigned just to take calls and return calls, to see who could meet their volunteer criteria.
The desperation came from the COVID19 situation. In the original story than ran on the weekend, Milne-Rivest explained that they'd lost many of their regular volunteers. Some were snowbirds who now had to stay home upon returning, others were seniors with their own underlying health issues, who really should be staying in and taking care of themselves.
This was at the same time that the demand for their services had gone up dramatically. Typically they may serve 200 people in a week, but that number had risen to almost 300 with seniors, the disabled, and others with health conditions self-isolating at home.
And with the ongoing situation, she sees that number rising adding, "It's going to go up, I guarantee it. But for now, we'll have the volunteer base to meet the demand. And we'll be able to spread the workaround and let our volunteers get rest."
The volunteers will follow a modified format, and in most cases will be able to "knock and go", leaving the meal at the door.
In describing the community, Milne-Rivest says "I love North Bay. People are going above and beyond. People are so generous it's amazing."
"I'd just love to say thank you to everyone, to the community, and to BayToday," she adds.