Ken Birdsall: 93 and Volunteering. Secret to a long life?

At 93, Ken is still going strong! As one of our longtime kitchen dispatchers, he continues to inspire others, including his niece, who joined our volunteer team thanks to him!

A buddy “hijacked” Ken Birdsall into volunteering for Care BC’s Meals on Wheels 22 years ago … and Ken never gave him grief about it.  

Ken found great community and purpose. “It’s rewarding in a way. And you need people in a way. I’m not very sociable and I don’t know what I would be doing if it wasn’t for all the people I met through Meals on Wheels.”  

Ken, now 93, still serves a vital role as a kitchen dispatcher, sorting meals into route bags for delivery. He spoke to Care BC only after all the day’s meals were en route to homebound seniors.  

“I don’t think in terms of it being charitable. It’s enjoyable, except when it ‘goes haywire’ or it snows.”  

Ken volunteers twice a week, driving from Vancouver to Care BC’s dispatch in Richmond. He knows the route well, as a lifelong Vancouver resident except for a couple of youthful years roaming Australia and New Zealand. Ken performed various administrative roles at a Vancouver restaurant supply office for 39 years before retiring at 70. 

A year later, he found Care BC’s Meals on Wheels. “It was something to do,” says Ken, admitting his buddy “didn’t force him into it”.  

Ken started as a “courier” with his buddy, transporting route bags to depots around Vancouver, Richmond and the North Shore. “Drivers” and “servers” then pick up their route bags to deliver meals to homebound clients.  

Ken knows the advantages of volunteering. “You’re going to benefit. I’ve heard so many say they get more out of it than they put in.”   

Lovely side note: Ken’s niece Eiza Birdsall now volunteers too. “Ken has been such an inspirational role model for me and my family. Uncle Ken, as we know him, embodies genuine care and connection. I am so grateful for him and his service to Meals on Wheels and introducing me to such a fulfilling cause.”

​“The personal connections and weekly interactions brighten my day just as much as I hope to brighten the clients. I look forward to all my stops and visits and hope to continue making an impact as long as Uncle Ken has to Meals on Wheels,” adds Eiza. 

Ken admires the volunteers, like his niece, who provide social connection with homebound people: “That part of it is very, very important. The food itself is secondary in some ways. It’s the contact – definitely, that is important.”  

Ken will keep volunteering until he can’t. “I feel obligated to keep doing it as long as I can… I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to do it but…” (Ken grins in the face of his mortality.)  

Care BC greatly appreciates Ken’s long service, commitment and camaraderie. He is our eldest volunteer in 2025 and a longtime donor. Thank you, Ken!