For years, the streets of Norwood and Havelock saw a familiar and welcome sight: volunteers like Cathy Turner delivering hot meals to neighbours in need. In the early 1990s, the local Meals on Wheels program was a steady presence in these communities, coordinated from a small office on Pine Street by John Penman. Meals came fresh from Maple View Retirement Residence, and the impact was simple but profound—ensuring seniors had not only nourishment but regular connection.
But sometime around 2002 or 2003, the program quietly came to a halt. The reasons were complex—logistical hurdles, limited resources—but the loss was deeply felt.
It wasn’t until June 2018, fifteen years later, that hot meals returned to Norwood and Havelock under the Community Care Peterborough banner. With the continued support of Maple View—still the trusted meal provider—Community Care reestablished the program with quiet determination. When the pandemic hit just two years later, Maple View went above and beyond: setting up safe pick-up protocols, continuing service without fail, and even refusing payment during the uncertain early months of COVID-19.
Since its return, Meals on Wheels has once again become a dependable thread in the fabric of community life. For many clients, the hot meal is familiar not only because of the food, but because it comes from a place they know—many former recipients have later chosen to move into Maple View, already trusting the quality and care.
In Norwood and Havelock, Meals on Wheels is more than a program—it’s a homecoming story, made possible by a community that never stopped caring.
