Grocery delivery for seniors, by someone you know.
Brian hand-picks your groceries and drives them to your door himself, every Tuesday and Friday, across Simcoe County and Georgian Bay. No app, no computer. Just call and read him your list.
Brian picks up unless he's driving the route.
Who this is for
For you, or for Mom and Dad.
Brian's customers include seniors and people with limited mobility, the families who look out for them, and busy households all along the route.
If you're living on your own
Heavy bags, icy parking lots, a long drive into town for a few things. Brian does the shopping and brings it to the door, and he'll carry the bags in if you'd like.
Out in Tay Township, a lot of the people on the route are seniors who'd rather not drive into Midland on icy days.
If you're arranging it for a parent
Maybe you're the one who checks whether Mom has fresh fruit in the house. Call Brian and set it up with him: what goes on the list, which delivery day, and where to leave the bag.
Live out of town? Call and talk it through. A standing order means nobody has to re-send the list every week.
If you live in a seniors' community
Brian already delivers to the seniors' communities up by Robert Street in Penetanguishene.
Wherever you live, tell him on the first call how to find your door. He writes it down.
How it works
No app. No computer. Just a phone call.
Four steps, and you can do every one of them over the phone.
- 01
Call Brian
Call 1-705-970-5141. New to the route? Brian will walk you through it. Text, email or the sign-up form work too, and he calls back the same day.
- 02
Give him your list once
Standing orders are welcome. Most regulars don't re-send their list, they just adjust as the season changes. Send changes by Sunday 3 pm for Tuesday, or Wednesday 3 pm for Friday.
- 03
Brian shops that morning
Produce comes from the Ontario Food Terminal in Toronto, and from local farmers like Barrie Hill Farms when they're in season. He picks it one piece at a time. If something doesn't look right, he'll tell you and pick something better.
- 04
He brings it to your door
Bags carried in if you'd like, receipt left on the counter. Pay cash, e-transfer, or settle up next week. Brian keeps the books.
Why Brian, not an app
The same person, every time.
No third-party drivers. No drivers you've never met. Brian picks, packs and drives every order himself.
One face at the door
Same route, same truck, same face at the door, every Tuesday and Friday. The hands choosing your tomatoes are the hands at your kitchen.
Picked the way you'd pick it
Brian walks the produce aisle the way you would, turning over the avocados and checking the bottoms of the berries. No substitutions you didn't ask for.
He knows the road
Brian knows which streets get plowed late, which seniors prefer Tuesday afternoons, and where to leave the bag if you're not home.
How it started
It started with seniors on Christian Island.
Brian's Food Baskets began in March 2020. Brian's mom lives on Christian Island full-time. When the lockdown hit, the ferry hours were cut and residents were limited to one mainland trip a week. A doctor's appointment or a grocery shop: pick one.
The seniors who'd put up bulk food in the fall had full freezers and nothing fresh. Brian asked Chief Guy Monague and council for permission to deliver fresh fruit and vegetables, and they said yes. He's been making the Cedar Point ferry trip every Tuesday and Friday ever since. The mainland route grew from there, by word of mouth.
"My mom and a lot of seniors, what they do is buy a lot of bulk food in the fall to get them through winter. But everything was frozen — nothing fresh."
Brian Vanderstelt · Simcoe.com, December 2020
Where Brian delivers
Ten towns, and everywhere in between.
Same service and same schedule at every stop on the route, from Innisfil to the Cedar Point ferry.
- InnisfilAlcona, Lefroy, Stroud, Cookstown
- BarrieWhere the truck loads
- Oro-MedonteShanty Bay, Hawkestone, Horseshoe Valley
- OrilliaLake Couchiching and downtown
- ColdwaterThe village and Highway 12
- MidlandThe harbour and hospital area
- Tay TownshipVictoria Harbour, Port McNicoll, Waubaushene
- PenetanguisheneMain Street, the harbour, seniors' communities
- ElmvaleThe village and Springwater back roads
- Christian IslandCedar Point ferry
Common questions
What families ask first.
Do I need a computer or a smartphone to order?
No. There's no app to download. Call Brian at 1-705-970-5141 and read him your list, or text or email it if that's easier. With a standing order, you don't have to re-send your list every week.
Can I set up deliveries for my mom or dad?
Call Brian at 1-705-970-5141 and he'll set it up with you. Tell him who the groceries are for, where they live on the route, and anything he should know at the door, like where to leave the bag if nobody's home. He writes it all down.
Will Brian carry the groceries inside?
If you'd like, yes. Bags carried in, receipt left on the counter. If you're not home, tell him where to leave the bag.
How do I pay?
Cash, e-transfer, or settle up next week. Brian keeps the books.
Is there a delivery fee?
Brian doesn't charge a separate delivery fee. Call for current pricing on a typical basket.
What if something on my list doesn't look right that day?
Brian will tell you and pick something better. No substitutions you didn't ask for.
Still have a question? Call 1-705-970-5141. Brian picks up unless he's driving.
Set it up with one phone call.
Tell Brian who the groceries are for and where they live. He'll call back the same day and have the first delivery on the next run.