Meals on Wheels coordinators say there's a mistaken belief among some Olds residents that the food for the program comes pre-made from Red Deer.
“People think we bring everything from Red Deer, right? I say, ‘no.' If we did, you wouldn't need me,” says Dianne Powney, one of the cooks who prepares the meals at the Olds Hospital and Care Centre.
Powney opens a huge freezer in the Olds hospital kitchen.
“Vegetables, we still have to steam them, like you do at home. We still have to cook them,” she says.
“Pork loins, you'll see raw ones there on the left side in the bottom. And on the right side on the bottom you'll see 35-pound roasts of beef. I've got to cook them in the oven. I get the girls to put them in at 8 o'clock in the morning so I've got them for supper.
“The chicken is raw, so I've got to cook breasts right from frozen,” Powney adds.
“We've still got to do a lot of cooking here. So I don't know where people get this concept.”
"We've still got to do a lot of cooking here. So I don't know where people get this concept." DIANNE POWNEYCOOK OLDS HOSPITAL AND CARE CENTRE
