Cooking up change by supporting local seniors and nourishing connection

It has been said that a society can be measured by how it treats its elders. And for many older Canadians, a few basic supports can mean the difference between a rich, independent life at home and having to move into assisted living.

In the community of Camrose, where the population of folks over 65 is even larger than the provincial average, a non-profit called the Camrose and District Home Support Society and a community-minded local baker have teamed up to provide seniors with a Community Kitchen which supports a more social and healthy life. Not to mention fuller hearts and stomachs. 

Camrose and District Home Support Society

The Camrose and District Home Support Society, an internal program of the Camrose and District Family and Community Support Services, has been working toward the goal of reducing isolation, increasing food security and enhancing volunteer services to allow seniors to remain at home. 

"[Helping seniors] is not just about helping them shovel their walk or navigate their senior's benefits on the online systems.” 

The organization has offered home support services such as the Meals on Wheels program since its beginning in 1973, and Homemaker services since 1995, helping seniors to live in a safe and healthy home while they age in place. While these programs have been going strong for 50 years, there was a need, and opportunity, for more.

“It's not just about helping people shovel their walk or navigate their senior's benefits on the online systems,” says Maria Lobreau, director of the Camrose and District Home Support Society. “We’re helping everybody age well in place, but a piece was still missing.”

And that’s when Patricia Zeniuk, Owner of Twists and More bakery and restaurant in Camrose joined the effort.

Twists and More

Patricia began operating Twists and More, offering fresh baked goods and home-cooked meals, at a farmer’s market booth in 2016. Her baked goods were wildly popular among locals, so in 2018, she and her husband opened a brick-and-mortar location. 

Things were growing by “leaps and bounds” and in 2022 Patricia won a Small Business of the Year award through the Camrose and District Chamber of Commerce. “It has grown faster and bigger than I ever expected,” she says.

Because of her passion for good food and building relationships in the community, the next step came organically for Patricia. In early 2023, Patricia and Maria teamed up to expand the Home Support Program to deliver frozen meals to Camrose County. “I really believe that the seniors are an integral part of our community, that they’re the founders of our community. And food is one thing that they can, and deserve to enjoy,” says Patricia.

After receiving a food security grant from the Alberta Government, the Home Support program used the funds to purchase baked goods and frozen meals from Twists and More, and deliver these to local and Camrose County locations. These meals were able to enhance the traditional meals that had been provided in the past. “This was kind of a pilot project for the possibility of having the bakery be the provider of locally made meals for Meals on Wheels,” says Maria. “And it was highly successful.”

The Home Support Society was able to initially provide 180 meals to seniors in Camrose and 250 healthy fresh meals and frozen meals to the rural community with the partnership. “We saw this as an opportunity to enhance the nutritional aspect of the meals that we provide our seniors, helping to support how they age in place,” says Maria. 

Patricia's Kitchen

After a successful trial run, funding was the last piece of the puzzle. In 2023, Vision Credit Union awarded the project with a $5,000 Helping Hand Grant and applied on their behalf for a $10,000 grant through Equitable Bank. With everything in place, Patricia and her husband made the partnership with the Home Support Society official. 

Together, they opened a new kitchen with a familiar name — Patricia’s Kitchen. The kitchen will operate as a hub for the Meals on Wheels program where the fresh and frozen meals will be prepared, cooked, packaged and delivered at a low cost for seniors and others in need.

Maria and Patricia have high hopes for the future. They envision the space as a community hub, bringing together local folks in need to connect, learn about nutritious meal preparation and provide support for one another. “It’s going to be an amazing place, says Patricia. “It really is.” 

4821 – 51 Street, Camrose AB | Phone: 780-672-0141