$5 meals for seniors at Burnaby Hospital

Fraser Health launched a new program to provide affordable hot meals for seniors. The new seniors’ meals are served Monday to Friday from 4-6pm at the Burnaby Hospital cafeteria and cost $4.99 each. 

Seniors can request the meal from cafeteria staff and do not need to present any ID or book in advance. The program aims to provide a nutritious, hot meal made with fresh ingredients for seniors on a fixed income to address high inflation and food insecurity. 

According to Kevin Poland, director for retail food operations at Fraser Health, the idea behind the meals program began when Poland’s boss, Tina Hartnell, the Fraser Health executive director for food, visited New York hospitals a year and a half ago. During her visit, Hartwell saw a busy hospital cafeteria at a time when it would have normally been quiet. 

“There were a lot of seniors over age 65 who were in groups and socializing and enjoying a nice, nutritious meal for a very reasonable price. She thought, why not try that when she gets back to Canada?” Poland said. “I thought it was a great idea. So we set the ball in motion and began running a pilot at Royal Columbian in Surrey.”

The program was launched in early September 2024 at Surrey Memorial Hospital and Royal Columbian Hospital. Poland’s staff collected feedback from seniors who frequented the cafeterias, especially seniors who came more than once. 

“My supervisory team would go out and have a list of questions that they would ask the customer. We compiled a list of these questions and the statistics, and we found an overwhelmingly positive response to the program,” Poland said. “Everyone thought that the meal temperature was perfect, and the size was really good for those patrons who have come multiple times. They enjoyed the meals each time they came. They like the variety.” 

At present, there is no delivery option for seniors who have difficulty travelling to the hospital. Poland said that the cost of the meals is covered mostly by the price, describing the program as “cost-neutral.” 

“My staff are there cleaning, and they’re serving customers as well. It’s just that, typically, in my locations in the hospital, we are busiest between 10am and 2pm, but we want to be able to stay open a little bit later than just the busy times because we’re providing a service to the staff and the visitors of the hospital,” Poland said. “We close at 6pm or 8pm in some of the bigger hospitals, so the staff are already there, and then the food, as I said, is covered by the price, and there’s no subsidization whatsoever.” 

While the meals are nutritious and balanced as much as possible, there are currently no provisions for seniors with dietary restrictions, whether for religious or other reasons. Poland said the staff try to accommodate restrictions as much as possible.

“We want to try our best to stick to a normal, deconstructed meal of a protein, a starch, and a vegetable. We want to highlight plant-based items as much as we can, focusing on nutrition and in a reasonable portion size,” Poland said. “If someone came in and they were allergic to something, for instance, then we would have the ability to not serve them that vegetable or that protein, we substitute something else in. So we try our very best to accommodate restrictions.”

The goal is to expand the program to include all Fraser Health’s Lower Mainland hospitals. Poland said one of the main aims is to make hospital cafeterias into more welcoming spaces where seniors can meet others, form friendships, and create community. 

“We find a lot of struggles with seniors who are on their own, on being able to cook for themselves, purchase for themselves,” Poland said. “What we offer is a good, wholesome meal for a very reasonable price. And hopefully, they’ll find some other benefits from coming to our locations, you know, bringing a friend, for instance, or meeting new friends.”

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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