What you might not know about WCK food programs
Few people know how complex it is to get WCK’s nourishing, easy-to-heat meals into the hands of B.C. families who are caring for children with cancer and blood disorders. This blog lifts the lid for you as we look to scale this support for families!
I’ll be honest. When I first joined the WCK team and learned about our deliveries of meals to families living with childhood cancer, I thought, “Oh, that’s nice. What a nice thing to do.”
Since then, I've heard firsthand from families about the incredible difference food support makes in their journey, and I’ve seen the work that constantly goes into making it a reality. I sat down with Karin and Greg, who have been running the food programs, to hear more about the ins and outs. Here are some things that may also surprise you!
Space determines so much of what you can do
Karin: We’re trying to get more space to hold more meals, because our delivery quantity per week has gone up so much. That would mean less reworking of the freezers and being able to hold even more options for different families.
The space we have affects how often we can order meals from our vendors. We need the right items on hand at the right time, but also not to be too full. It’s not possible to order every week from some vendors, so we’ve got to work back and think, ‘If we order this much, how long will this quantity last based on the average amount I’m delivering a week? What storage capacity will we need to keep this many items?’
Tetris is great training!
Greg: Karin and I took measurements of the shelves and drawers in our BC Children’s Hospital Family Lounge freezer, as well as all of our various packaging. We then figured out the maximum number of meals we can fit given any of the packaging. We find out from Suzanne (Patient/Parent Advocate, Oncology/Hematology/BMT Program) how much of our food is left in the freezer each week so we know how much to send.
Because of the space we have, we’re moving dozens of things back and forth many times. It’s like Tetris and we try to make it make sense so that, when volunteers come in, they can grab the right things easily.
To provide variety, you have to plan
Karin: On the back end, if the form from Suzanne says we need 180 meals to fill the freezer, we need to have those 180 meals in house and make sure that they’re not all mac and cheese (it’s not everyone’s comfort food!) We provide a good variety. We make sure there are vegan and gluten free options, a breakfast option, and smoothies. Some parents can only manage a smoothie at that point. We need to have that inventory available every week to make sure we can provide those options.
We’re constantly asking, ‘Is this the right meal? How fast is this going?’ We work closely with our vendors on that side to make sure we have the right selection for families.
Greg: I have been figuring out a new computer system for the Nourish at Home deliveries. It’s challenging because there are so many different pieces of important information needed in order to customize things and accommodate people’s needs and preferences. But that’s one of the most important things about WCK programs, so we continue to design systems that allow for variety and choice.
Insulation is crucial
Karin: The food has to arrive frozen, otherwise we’re not relieving any emotional stress! Even if it’s with corporate couriers and we think it will be delivered in three hours…things happen. Sometimes families get an appointment and have to go to the hospital, so the box is then safe dropped outside their house. We pack assuming that the box could be left outside for several hours.
It’s happened before where a family has called saying, ‘The courier just came but we had to go and pick up medicine. Do I need a neighbour to get it?’ And I can say, ‘Don’t worry. No coordination needed. The box will stay frozen.’ It doesn’t become a stress of how to get the food into the freezer right away. It gives them some breathing time.
Karin: The food has to arrive frozen, otherwise we’re not relieving any emotional stress! Even if it’s with corporate couriers and we think it will be delivered in three hours…things happen. Sometimes families get an appointment and have to go to the hospital, so the box is then safe dropped outside their house. We pack assuming that the box could be left outside for several hours.
It’s happened before where a family has called saying, ‘The courier just came but we had to go and pick up medicine. Do I need a neighbour to get it?’ And I can say, ‘Don’t worry. No coordination needed. The box will stay frozen.’ It doesn’t become a stress of how to get the food into the freezer right away. It gives them some breathing time.
Volunteers are invaluable
Karin: It’s so fun working with the volunteers, seeing them bring their spirit for it. For example, they come in and we don’t even tell them what needs to happen with the snacks, other than the numbers. They’re just like, ‘Here’s the assortment that we think would be best.’ They pack it all in a way that we can easily send it off. They’re so invested in it.
There are often personal experiences behind it. We hear the insights from that, and we see how they’re willing to take their own experience and say, ‘This really helped me and I want to help other people going through it.’ It’s so nice to see that, and to work with people who really care. They’re so wonderful about sharing that energy.
Food coordination is fun!
Greg: It’s really fun! You get to touch so many different pieces. Everybody has this great spirit and you know that it’s making a difference. I know we’re strangers to the families in a lot of ways, but it still feels really meaningful.
Karin: I’m so excited for where the food program is going. Right now, we have to work within parameters because of our space, resources, and time. But as it continues to open up and we’re supported to offer this help in a bigger way to more people, I’m like, ‘Wow!’ I’m just so excited. Because this is here to stay.
Hey! I'm Corrie
Want to learn more about our food support programs? Reach out to the WCK Food Team at foodprograms[at]wckfoundation.ca with all your questions.