Yarmouth organization expands frozen meal outreach

A Yarmouth County volunteer run food program that began with crock-pot cooking in a church parking lot has grown into a sprawling network of frozen meal distribution, community cooking events and nearly two-dozen around-the-clock food pantries.

The Acts of Kindness Society, led by the group’s president, Ken Cleveland, launched its frozen meals program last spring after receiving support from Feed Nova Scotia and a $3,000 grant from the Yarmouth County Community Health Board.

Community health board wellness funds support non-profit groups working to improve health in their communities. Among other things, grants go toward programs that promote food security, housing, transportation and social participation. The goal is to reduce risks of poor health outcomes in Nova Scotia communities.

The program produces roughly 100 frozen soups each week and has distributed about 8,000 portions since it began. Meanwhile, the pantry aspect currently stretches from Weymouth in Digby County to Barrington in Shelburne County.

“It’s a really cost-effective, neat way to get food to people,” Cleveland said. “It’s on-demand, so it’s not like you have to cook it and get it to them within minutes. It’s a win win on so many different levels.”

The society organizes volunteers from other community groups to help prepare large batches of soup, chili and chowder. The meals are portioned into 16ounce containers, frozen and stocked in pantries or delivered to partner organizations, including one that supports people with mental and physical disabilities. The group has also purchased small deep freezers for several sites to store the meals.

Cleveland keeps a freezer in his garage “usually full of frozen soup,” he said. Each week he, like many others, loads a cooler and delivers meals across the region.

The frozen meals program grew out of the society’s Saturday meal service, which now provides about 700 hot and cold meals weekly through a mix of deliveries and sit-down service at the Yarmouth Association for Community Residential Options (YACRO) service hub. Volunteers also respond to emergency calls from households with no food on hand.

Food insecurity in the region has intensified, Cleveland said, affecting older adults, working families and people living alone. “It’s not just someone on welfare,” he said. “It’s people with two jobs that can’t make ends meet. It’s affecting so many people.”

The frozen meals have become especially important for YACRO’s independent living clients, who often rely on the ready‑to‑heat portions. “They love the fact they can grab a couple frozen soup and go home and heat it up,” Cleveland said. “It’s been a huge, huge bonus for them.”

The society hopes to expand the cooking events into social and educational gatherings to share recipes, learn cooking skills and prepare meals for the community.

Despite relying entirely on volunteers and donations, Cleveland said the group plans to continue the frozen meals program for as long as possible. “We’ll keep it going as long as we can afford to,” he said. “It feels good to be able to do it. It’s the most rewarding thing but it’s just so sad that it’s needed.” 

Photo of frozen meals ready for distribution.