In a scrapbook tucked inside our archives, there is a photograph from 1989–1990: the Meals on Wheels Board of Directors gathered around a long meeting table. They have paused from their work, looking up at the camera with the sort of relaxed attentiveness that comes from familiar company. The table in front of them is scattered with coffee cups, notepads, and papers—evidence of decisions in progress.
For four decades, before Meals on Wheels became part of Community Care Peterborough in 2004, the program was governed entirely by volunteers. The people in this photo—and the many who filled those chairs over the years—were neighbours who stepped forward to steer an essential community service. Around tables like this one, they balanced budgets, considered new routes, discussed volunteer needs, and shared stories of clients who reminded them why the work mattered.
In the same archive box sits a framed list of Board Presidents from 1964 to 2004—a roll call of leadership that traces forty years of steady stewardship. Each name represents someone who took responsibility for the program’s wellbeing, helping it adapt to changing times while keeping its mission clear.
When Meals on Wheels joined Community Care Peterborough, the governance model evolved and more staff support followed. Yet the heart of the service remains the same. Volunteers still make it possible—delivering meals, offering reassurance, and carrying forward the legacy first nurtured around that table.
The table may have changed, but the spirit around it endures.
Meals on Wheels’ Past Presidents (1964 – 2004)
Mrs. S.A. Janusz – 1964
Mrs. Frank Petrie – 1966
Mrs. S.A. Janusz – 1967
Mrs. A.R. Hutchison (Interim) – 1968-1969
Mrs. Buckham (Co-Chair) – 1969
Mrs. Willa Bowes (Co-Chair) – 1969
Dorothy Toole – 1969-1976
Sharon Haller (Co-Chair) – 1976-1978
Lois Davis (Co-Chair) – 1976-1978
Beverly Adams – 1978-1979
Joy Edwards – 1979-1983
Nancy Parr – 1983-1985
Una Golding – 1985-1987
Nancy Phillips – 1987-1988
Heather Christie – 1988-1990
Nancy Phillips – 1990-1991
Claire Pearl – 1991-1992
Elizabeth Wright – 1992-1994
Elizabeth Clarkson – 1994-1995
Joan Treen – 1995-1997
Bob Outram – 1997-1999
Walter Dyer – 1999-2001
Mark Roper – 2001-2004
