It follows a decision by Aberdeenshire Council last year to stop using WRVS volunteers to deliver the hot meals and instead provide residents with frozen meals to heat up in their own homes.
Bill Knight, past chairman of Grampian Senior Citizens Forum and a former meals on wheels recipient, who campaigned to try and stop Aberdeen City Council following a similar route in 2002, said it was "terrible" it was now happening in rural areas.
"Many of the people look forward to these visits especially those who don't have relations," he said. "They like the WRVS coming in and speaking to them, otherwise they could be there all day with perhaps no one else to visit them.
"I live myself. My wife died last year and I have to do my own cooking so I've experienced what it's like. I come in and there is no one here and sometimes you feel a bit depressed.
"I went to great lengths to try and stop this from coming in (in Aberdeen]. It's very sad indeed," he added.
The delivery of the last hot meals in Aberdeenshire tomorrow will mark the end of a 40-year era for the WRVS service, which last year provided 25,000 voluntary hours deliving meals on wheels across the region.
Norma Makin, a former WRVS meals on wheels volunteer, acknowledged that the service was being stopped on the because of health and safety concerns but she echoed Mr Knight's views that it meant more to residents than simply having their food delivered.
She said: "The bottom line is, in my view, the people who receive them are not just there because they need the meal. A lot of it is to do with social interaction with the people who deliver it and that's going to be lost. That will be the biggest drawback, the loss of company.
"The volunteers are not there for very long but a lot of these meals and wheels recipients are single and people who stay alone.
"It's a sad to see the end a long standing service and I think the volunteers who do it will miss the joy of it."
Under the new scheme, which will come into force on Monday, Ellon-based firm Apetito will deliver "nutritionally balanced" meals fortnightly, together with a small freezer and microwave, which will be provided free of charge, to store and prepare the food
Recipients will be able to select from a comprehensive menue, including special diets, which will cost £2.75 for a two-course meal.
Home carers be available to those who require assistance with the meals and a home care supervisor will assess prospective clients for the new meals delivery service and let them know the options available to them.
An evaluation conducted by Age Concern of a pilot scheme in Peterhead and Laurencekirk was said to be "very positive" in terms of choice, quality and quantity of food. The ability of an older person to eat at a time of their choice was also seen as a bonus.
A spokesman for Aberdeen City Council also said that since the implementation of its new frozen food service it had been able to cater for a greater number of residents.
He acknowledged that there was some opposition to the plans initially. But he said since the new service was introduced "it has gone very well and been very positive".
"It gives people flexibility and for those who want it regularly it gives them a far greater choice then they ever had before. We are able to serve far more people then we were before," he added.