Australia’s iconic Meals on Wheels is known for delivering a freshly made hot meal to the elderly, but this service is more than ensuring widespread access to balanced nutrition. By making door-to-door visits, the Meals on Wheels volunteer team also provide social connection to a segment of society who can easily become isolated.
Community Bank Samford recently provided Meals on Wheels Samford with a $6,500 grant for meal delivery eskies. These are required by food safety standards but would otherwise have been a significant expense for the organisation.
“The eskies required must be insulated and food safe and easy to carry for our volunteers. These are very expensive indeed, so to have this funding from Community Bank Samford has made a world of difference,” said Dee Medway and Melissa Atkinson, Branch Coordinators of Meals on Wheels Samford.
“This astounding generosity is so valued by us, as expenses like these for equipment are huge for our not-for-profit charity. Without generous grants such as these from our wonderful community partners, we simply would not be able to fund these ourselves,” they said.
The grant has enabled the organisation to keep meal prices as affordable as possible for clients.
“If we had to buy expensive equipment like delivery eskies, meal prices would certainly have to factor in these costs, and therefore meals prices would be higher,” Melissa and Dee said.
Meals on Wheels enables older Australians to live in their homes for longer, playing a key role in promoting healthy eating and preventing social isolation. To do so, volunteers give their time not only in food preparation and delivery, but also in spending quality hours with clients.
As well as providing financial aid, Community Bank Samford staff also volunteer their time as part of the Meals on Wheels Samford team. Melissa and Dee love working with this amazing group once a month.
“Whoever does the recruiting for staff at Community Bank Samford has the recipe right! They always arrive with huge smiles and enthusiasm and are extremely friendly, helpful, and reliable and they are all so lovely with our clients. We value each and every one of them!” Dee and Melissa said.
Meals on Wheels has been operating for over 65 years. Since starting in Samford in December 2020, the service has continually grown at a rapid rate, indicating a strong need for this community service.
