By Kristen Remillard
Contributing Writer
GRAFTON – Long-time Grafton resident Lori Houlden-Girard recognized a need in her community and wanted to help. It inspired her to create a nonprofit organization called Meals that Matter.
Houlden-Girard was having her own challenges, juggling her daily home life and 30-year career in furniture repair and upholstery while also caring for her elderly father. She realized that food insecurity alone was only a piece of the challenges faced.
Shaping the program
Her vision started over a year ago, in October 2023 and after a year of trial and error, she was able to shape the program into how she believed it would best serve people in the community. It was first imagined as a large dinner for people to attend but would become a service with a more personal approach to individuals.
Houlden-Girard listened to many people’s ideas over the year but quickly realized that the dinner originally planned was a less personal approach. She learned that people preferred their privacy when it came to asking for help. She decided to go back to the basics and began serving people on an individual basis. Today, Houlden-Girard rolls up her sleeves every Sunday and serves about 14 families two nutritious home-cooked meals and a soup every week. She not only cooks for all of these people, but she also delivers the meals and checks in with every individual to make sure they have everything they need.
Family legacy in farming
If you are from the Grafton area, you may recognize the name “Houlden” from the popular local farm of the same name at 95 Wesson Street in Grafton. Houlden-Girard comes from many generations of providers to the community through farming, so it’s no wonder serving the community delicious meals comes so naturally. Her desire to nurture through food began with her grandmother Dorothy who also ran a farm in Westborough.
Her mother, Ruth Houlden, speaks highly of growing up on the family farm. The days were spent farming and making deliveries of fresh milk, eggs and meats to the community members of Westborough. Houlden recalled the excitement people would have when they received their fresh milk and cream from the farm. People, she said, would argue over who got that thick layer off the top of their farm-fresh milk to use in their morning cup of coffee.
After Ruth married, she and her husband built their home on the Houlden property in Grafton and raised their family there. Their children (Lori included) recognized their mother’s amazing ability to grow produce and sell it on a tarp on the front lawn. That was the start of Houlden Farm.
Houlden-Girard also shared memories of the care her grandmother Dorothy put into cooking the family fresh homecooked meals. She believes her family had the type of compassion about food that others could feel, which is a gift that was handed down to her.
Community impact
Grafton senior and former librarian of the Nelson Library June Lufkin posted about Meals that Matter on her Facebook account:
“I am the lucky recipient of meals prepared by Lori Houlden-Girard,” she wrote appreciatively. “The food is delicious and she’s a wonderful cook. I am so grateful.”
Recipients of Meals that Matter are not limited to the senior community. Houlden-Girard has assisted people young and old, such as a parent battling cancer who is juggling treatment, healing and children. She also served a pregnant woman who was still working full time and those who found themselves at the side of their declining parents. The program is about helping with no questions asked and with no judgement passed. No matter your financial situation, no matter your personal situation, if you need help, Meals that Matter will be there for you.
Houlden-Girard has been able to accomplish a lot over the last year, but not without help. She has served seniors for years in Grafton, which keeps her well connected to the senior citizen community. Lisa Kelley, who works at the Grafton Senior Center, has connected her with individuals who could benefit from her services, which has helped get the word out about the program.
“For as long as I’ve known Lori, her passion has been to enhance the lives of elders through nutritious home cooked meals,” said Kelley. “Through my job at the Senior Center, I have been able to provide Lori with the names of willing seniors who are in a position to receive her wonderful meals.”
Support from others
“Homefield Credit Union’s President Karl Moisan generously donates $2,500 annually towards a holiday meal for the seniors of Grafton,” Kelley explained. “This year, I wanted to share $500 of that donation with Lori for Meals that Matter since her program has had a direct and positive impact for the seniors in town. Since Karl and Homefield Credit Union are so generous, they gave the full $2,500 to the senior center plus $500 to Meals that Matter,” she added. “Lori is an invaluable asset to Grafton and I’m proud to have her as a friend.”
As more and more become familiar with Houlden-Girard and her mission, people in the community have helped get the word out about this new and growing program. Lee Sweeney Hume of Grafton was very excited to help and has contributed her time to by helping Houlden-Girard with social media and created the organization’s website.
“I forget how I was roped into Meals that Matter, but it has been life altering for me to help our friends and neighbors,” said Hume. “Lori is a giver with a wide-open and generous heart. She saw a need in the community, so she began providing home cooked, nutritious meals paired with home delivery and a quick check on the recipient’s well-being. The relationships she creates with individuals makes the recipient feel like someone is looking out for them and they are not alone.”
Programs like Meals On Wheels are a great resource for many folks, but they are mainly geared towards seniors or homebound adults and typically require an application. Meals That Matter is a program that anyone can call on, with no questions asked. For more information or to make a donation, visit https://mealsthatmatter.net.
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