Larry Mathieson, president and CEO of the Unison at Veiner Centre, reflects on 2025 in a new YouTube video posted by Unison, speaking about volunteers, growing membership and expanding travel programming.--SCREENSHOT
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Larry Mathieson, president and CEO of Unison, which operates the Veiner Centre, shared the vital role of its volunteers in a new video posted online.
Mathieson said the success of the Veiner Centre’s Meals on Wheels and Veiner Vintage Transportation programs comes from its volunteer cooks who prepare meals, and drivers who are vital to both programs.
“We rely so much on those drivers in both of those programs,” he said in a YouTube video posted by the Unison For Generations 50+ account titled “Year-End Reflections 2025 – Supporting Seniors at Unison at Veiner Centre, Larry Mathieson.”
The Meals on Wheels program provides nutritious well-balanced meals for seniors at a sustained rate. The delivery program ensures fresh hot and cold meals are delivered to the doors of seniors’ homes.
Volunteer drivers often spend time with seniors and are able to perform wellness checks during the deliveries, acting as a tool to help combat social isolation for those who may need a little extra help due to physical disabilities, illnesses or cognitive impairments.
The Veiner Vintage Transportation program, created in 2024, provides thousands of round-trip rides to seniors who need to grocery shop, attend medical appointments or require a lift to a social activity.
The program works by providing door-to-door assistant transportation services for a subsidized rate and is driven by volunteers.
Mathieson says the Veiner Centre continues to increase in membership each month. In 2025 membership levels grew to 1,600, however the centre also serves non-members who can still access most programming and the Bistro for meals.
“We are definitely feeling the growth in the older population for sure,” said Mathieson.
Mathieson also highlighted efforts to expand more day trips and longer getaways, including cruises planned through the Veiner Centre.
“Our trips are actually one of the areas that we’ve seen tremendous growth since COVID,” explains Mathieson. “I would say before COVID there were times where we would organize a bus trip someplace and had to cancel it because we couldn’t fill it.”
Mathieson says now organizers need two or three buses per trip to ensure everyone can get a seat.
Later this year the Veinter Centre will host a pilot 10-day-cruise that will travel across the East Coast in the St. Lawrence River, and Mathieson says efforts are underway to expand trips to different locations in 2026.
