staff reporter
Maple Ridge’s new Thrifty Foods is offering shopping and home delivery services for those who have a tough time getting out.
The service starts Oct. 17 in Maple Ridge, a few months after Thrifty Foods opened its doors in Haney Place Mall.
Sendial is a service started in 1987 by Thrifty Foods and is geared towards people who’ve been injured or who have a disability.
Sendial volunteers will call customers, take orders and shop for groceries during the week.
Thrifty Foods drivers then deliver the orders in food-safe, refrigerated vans to the doors and, in some cases, into the homes of those in need.
“At the beginning, I sort of envisioned 30 volunteers and a few orders,” wrote customer Prue Cunningham, who helped start the program.
“After just one year, we now have about 55 volunteers and average 100 orders a week.”
Today, the Thrifty Foods Sendial program includes more than 600 volunteers and averages 1,000 grocery orders weekly.
Residents of Maple Ridge who are interested can stop at the customer service desk in the mall or call Thrifty Foods Customer Service at 1-800-667-8280, or visit the website www.thriftyfoods.com/sendial.
Thrifty Foods also unveiled another easy way to shop last week with its Thrifty Foods online service.
Shoppers just have to go to that website, click on the food items they want, pay with a credit card or Interac and a referigerated van will roll up in front of their house the next day. Charge for that service is $7.95, only $4.95 if you pick up your order.
The service is available in the Maple Ridge area.