The idea of Meals on Wheels was born from crisis. In wartime Britain, volunteers pushed prams through bomb-damaged streets, delivering hot meals to neighbours who could no longer cook for themselves. From those small acts of kindness grew a worldwide movement that continues to nourish people today.
When Meals on Wheels arrived in Canada in the early 1960s, Peterborough was among the very first cities to take up the call. Within months of Brampton’s pilot program, local volunteers organized, cooked, and delivered seven meals on their first day of service—October 6, 1964. Sixty years later, that spark of compassion still burns bright.
Thousands of volunteers have since followed in their footsteps. Each has carried forward the same simple promise that began during the Blitz: one hot meal, delivered with care, can make all the difference. Across decades of change, new technologies, and countless community challenges, Meals on Wheels Peterborough has never stopped. While other initiatives have come and gone, this program endures because people here believe in it.
That belief is what connects Peterborough to a global story—a movement that began on another continent but found a lasting home in this city. Every delivery made today echoes those first journeys through London’s streets and our own in 1964. It is a reminder that even the smallest gesture—a knock on a door, a shared smile, a warm meal—can bridge generations and continents alike.
Meals on Wheels may have started a world away, but its heart beats right here in Peterborough.
Here’s a social media teaser that fits your usual tone — brief, inviting, and rooted in pride and continuity rather than nostalgia.
