On May 15, 1992, the familiar rhythm of the late morning at Meals on Wheels headquarters at the Queen Alexandra Centre took an unexpected turn. As volunteers gathered to sort meals freshly brought in from local vendors—and prepared to fan out across the city—several RCMP officers in full red serge arrived to help deliver meals throughout Peterborough.
It must have been quite a sight. Volunteers organizing thermal bags. Drivers checking their routes. And suddenly, stepping through the doorway, a cluster of Mounties in their iconic wide-brimmed hats and bright red jackets. It’s the kind of moment that fills a room with surprise and delight before anyone even says a word.
One of the photos from that day shows an officer standing beside Bernice Clark, longtime Meals on Wheels Coordinator. Both are smiling broadly—a mix of pride, warmth, and the simple joy of seeing two forms of community service come together.
That morning, the officers joined volunteers on their routes, knocking on doors with hot meals and friendly greetings. For the clients opening their doors, it must have felt extraordinary: the RCMP’s most recognizable uniform appearing not at a ceremony or parade, but on their front step at lunchtime.
The red serge carries a national symbolism of honour, duty, and service. Meals on Wheels volunteers carry those same values every day—quietly, faithfully, without the formality of a uniform. On that spring day in 1992, those traditions met on doorsteps across Peterborough, reminding us that caring for community is a shared calling, and that sometimes it arrives with a wide-brimmed hat and a smile.
