Things will get a little bit easier for seniors in the community starting Dec. 3.
This is the date the On the Road: Seniors Helping Seniors program will be starting up.
The program is a four-month pilot project to offer free delivery of groceries, prescriptions, library books and the processing of municipal payments.
Funding for the program came from New Horizons grant funding from the provincial government and has made it possible for the District of Fort St. James to purchase a delivery van and hire Yvonne Sam as the senior delivery service coordinator.
A five-person action committee will be operating the program, with partnerships with Overwaitea, Sana’aih Market, the Lakeshore Pharmacy and the Fort St. James Bicentennial Library.
While the service is geared towards seniors, others in need would not be turned away, according to Sam. She said people incapacitated for medical reasons or other people with mobility issues could also use the service if they needed.
Potential users of the service only need to contact Yvonne Sam and fill out a referral sheet which provides the coordinator the necessary information to get them started.
Deliveries will take place Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m..
Orders would need to be placed 24 hours in advance and except for prescriptions, would have to be under $100 purchases per trip.
The service is currently funded until March 22, 2013, but the group continues to look for other funding opportunities to continue the service with the help of the District of Fort St. James Grant Writer Shauna Hess.