24 Aug Our volunteers – the essential ingredients for Meals on Wheels

Tomorrow, the last Wednesday in August, is National Meals on Wheels Day. It is an important day that provides an opportunity to recognise the essential ingredients of our Meals on Wheels – our dedicated, committed and resilient team of Meals on Wheels volunteers.

Meals on Wheels has been one of the important services at Timboon and District Healthcare Service (TDHS) – supporting the health and wellbeing of older and vulnerable people within the community since its inception.

The service enables frail older people and younger people with a disability, to stay in the comfort of a familiar home and enjoy a level of independence and style of living to suit their individual needs, as long as possible.

The meals are cooked onsite daily by our Hotel Services staff, who are committed to provide a healthy hot home cooked three course meal using high quality ingredients (including a pinch of love😊).

Our dietitian Emily Boyle is continuously involved in providing thorough menu reviews with our Hotel Services staff, to offer highly nutritious meals catered to our consumers’ specific needs and dietary requirements.

The next essential step is where our wonderful team of volunteers step in – they not only make sure the meals are delivered to the consumer, but also provide another very important part of this essential service: a social and wellbeing check.

We know human connection is so important, especially during this pandemic, and for some older Australians, a Meals on Wheels volunteer is the only person they see all day… sometimes all week. And the wellbeing check gives valuable peace of mind for family members, often living interstate, knowing that someone is always looking out for their loved ones.

Through the social and wellbeing checks performed at each delivery, Meals on Wheels volunteers keep older Australians connected to their community, living independently and well in the comfort of their home.

When we asked some of our Meals on Wheels consumers: “What do our Meals on Wheels volunteers mean to you?”, this is what they said:

• Pearl Frost: “They are wonderful and really good at what they do. They check up on me and ask me how I am.”
• John and Ria Holmes: “They mean a lot to us. We would be lost without the volunteers.”
• Colin Simpson: “The volunteers are very good and very helpful. I wouldn’t get the meals without them.”

Our volunteers show the ultimate act of kindness. A selfless gesture, a way of giving time and offering a valuable way to build community, encourage collaboration and strengthen social connectivity.

For more information on our Meals on Wheels service, please contact Fiona Hanel on 5558 6000. And if you are interested in joining our wonderful team of volunteers and filling your days with that little bit of kindness, please contact Sabine McKenzie on 5558 6000.