A: The meal train service is intended to assist those individuals and families who belong to the GraceLife Church body who are suffering from illness, recovering from hospital stays, or experiencing difficult times.
A: Start by completing our online submission form or contacting our team at mealtrain@gracelife.ca. One of our team members will call you to discuss your need, and arrange your meal drop off days. Next, an email invitation is sent to all those people in our church who have signed up to volunteer (you will receive a copy of this email as well). Individual volunteers will select the days that work for their schedule and arrange to bring you a meal.
A: Use our convenient online form to submit a request for yourself or another family in need. You can also reach out to the meal train admin by email at mealtrain@gracelife.ca.
A: When you complete your meal train submission on our website, be sure to indicate any dietary restrictions or special instructions that will be passed along to the volunteers who will be preparing your meals. These meals will be made with your restrictions in mind.
A: Once we receive your request, our meal train staff will reach out to you to discuss your current need. Since every need is different, the number of meals will be discussed and planned with you in advance.
A: The meals that will be prepared for you are typically home-cooked meals made by families in our church, with consideration to any dietary restrictions you may have. Most individuals let you know in advance via the meal train interface the exact meal you can expect. Every style and taste of cooking is individual, and you will have the pleasure of experiencing the same care these individuals put into feeding their families.
A: In the weeks before your baby arrives, our meal train team will assemble for you a “welcome baby” gift bag with 2-3 frozen meals to help during those last few tiring weeks as you anticipate your baby. We’ll also include tips / recipes to help you prepare for the arrival of your new little one. Remember to let our team know if you are expecting, otherwise, we will be unable to serve you in this way.
If you experience any hardships or need extra help before or after baby arrives, please let our meal train team know so that we can serve you in this way.
A: At GraceLife Church, we teach the calling of all saints to the work of service (1 Corinthians 15:58; Ephesians 4:12; Revelation 22:12). Not everyone is called to teach Sunday School, or to work in the church nursery, but almost everyone can participate in a meal train! This service is also a great way to start serving our church body, and your brothers and sisters in Christ, before you are officially a member of GraceLife.
A: Excellent! From time to time, we need volunteer drivers to deliver meals to families in need. We also do bulk meal prep from time to time, and there’s always the Helping Hands ministry where you can roll up your sleeves and get to work. Contact mealtrain@gracelife.ca and we can help find a spot for you to fill based on your availability.
A: If you are unable to deliver your meal donation to the recipient family directly on your selected day, you can ask them if they would like to meet you at church on Sunday to receive their meal. You would then meet them and hand it to them directly (a great way to shake their hand and introduce yourself!). Our church kitchen is quite busy catering to both services, and the volunteer staff is not generally available to manage meal train drop off and pick up. Your meal may be forgotten and the recipient family is counting on you.