It was the smile you noticed first—wide, bright, and full of energy. Whether she was delivering meals or chairing a board meeting, Nancy Parr brought the same generous spirit and unmistakable warmth to every role she held with Meals on Wheels.
Nancy began volunteering in 1974, and over the next fifteen years, she did just about everything. She delivered meals as a driver, coordinated routes as a convenor, and eventually served as Chair of the Board. She even took her passion province-wide, representing Peterborough on the Ontario Board of Directors for Meals on Wheels agencies.
But it wasn’t just about the titles. Nancy believed in people. In a 1988 interview with the Peterborough Examiner, she spoke of the joy she found in the program’s constant evolution—“The fun thing is it never stands still, it's always changing”—and the inspiration she drew from the volunteers around her, calling them a “special group.”
That belief in community ran deep. Nancy helped draft the first constitution and bylaws when Meals on Wheels became a stand-alone organization in 1980. She played a key role in the decision to move from Murray Street Baptist Church to the Queen Alexandra Centre. She created nutrition pamphlets to support meal recipients and developed promotional materials to build local awareness.
Nancy’s contributions helped build the foundation we still rely on today. But it’s her smile—always genuine, always welcoming—that volunteers remember most.
She showed us that the heart of Meals on Wheels isn’t found in a job title or a boardroom, but in the simple act of showing up with care. And in that way, Nancy never really stopped giving.
