In 1983, as Meals on Wheels officially incorporated as a charitable organization, the program was delivering over 18,000 meals a year—a remarkable number for a service that had grown out of a church kitchen and a handful of volunteers. But it was also a sign of what was coming: more seniors needing support, more routes to coordinate, and more infrastructure to keep everything running.
At that crucial moment, Dorothy McKinstry stepped in as the first Chair of the Board of Directors. A longtime community leader and devoted member of Grace United Church, Dorothy brought not only warmth and wisdom, but also the steadiness needed to guide a growing organization through change.
One of her biggest leadership moments came when the decision was made to move Meals on Wheels from its longtime home at Murray Street Baptist Church to the Queen Alexandra Centre. It was a major transition—the program's first permanent office space—and Dorothy helped make it possible, spearheading a successful application for a New Horizons grant to help furnish the new location. She later continued her service on the Executive as Secretary in 1986, quietly shaping the program’s future behind the scenes.
By the program’s 25th anniversary in 1989, annual deliveries had topped 30,000 meals. The foundation laid during Dorothy’s tenure helped sustain that growth.
Dorothy passed away in 2017 at the age of 102, remembered as a loving mother and grandmother, a loyal friend, and a tireless community servant. Meals on Wheels was just one of the many causes she touched—but her fingerprints are still visible today, woven into the very fabric of the program she helped shape.
