Town of St. Marys expanding Community Wellness Program

Services now include grocery delivery assistance and virtual recreation programming

The Town of St. Marys is expanding its Community Wellness Program to include new services to help residents cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program launched late in March and was initially focused on connecting those in need with pre-existing community resources. While this approach has been successful – over 80 people are currently registered with the program – staff have since discovered some gaps in the service.

One issue they identified was with grocery delivery. Although this service is available in St. Marys, some residents without a credit card or an internet connection struggled to access it. To combat this, staff at the Community Wellness Program will now place grocery orders on clients’ behalf, arrange for delivery and offer alternative payment methods.

“The Community Wellness Program is all about breaking down barriers,” said Jenny Mikita, the Town’s Senior Services Program Supervisor. “We are constantly assessing the needs of our residents and trying to find new ways to ensure no one is being left behind.”

Beyond meeting basic needs, staff also wanted to address the social isolation facing many residents at this time. They are now using Facebook to share live and pre-recorded videos of recreation and leisure programs. They are also exploring telephone programming to connect those without access to the internet.

A weekly schedule of virtual programming is available at www.townofstmarys.com/communitywellness. To participate in online programs, simply visit the Pyramid Recreation Centre Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pyramid.centre) at the scheduled program time and follow along with the video. Copies of the videos are also saved under the “Videos” tab on the Pyramid Recreation Centre Facebook page.

All residents of St. Marys and Perth South who require assistance can call the Community Wellness Program at 519-284-3272 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Once the resident is registered, staff will help connect them with the appropriate community resource or enroll them in a suitable program to meet their needs.

The Community Wellness Program is seeking the support of local volunteers. Please contact program staff at 519-284-3272 or friends@town.stmarys.on.ca to get involved.

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Contact

Brett O’Reilly | Corporate Communications & Events Manager
519-284-2340, ext. 432 | boreilly@town.stmarys.on.ca