‘Surviving on Tea and Toast’ - Meals on Wheels Needs Volunteers

Meals on Wheels is an essential service offered throughout Moree and Mungindi, visiting 36 elderly clients a week and delivering around 120 meals.  

At the beginning of the year the volunteer base for Meals on Wheels in Moree diminished.

Moree Care’s Care Services Manager, Rachel Egan, coordinates the Meals on Wheels service and explained the issue the local service is facing.

“Beginning mid-March 2020, the volunteer support our service relies on really reduced. And understandably so. Many of our volunteers for Meals on Wheels fell into the vulnerable COVID-19 category, being over the age of 70 and therefore chose to self-isolate, some businesses also ceased volunteering because of internal COVID-19 staff management protocols”, explained Mrs Egan.

“In April 2020 following a government directive from the Department of Health, all our volunteers over the age of 70 were requested to cease volunteering on a temporary basis; this reduced our volunteer base from 52 to 13 people.

“Our service relies on volunteers for the daily delivery of Meals On Wheels and more volunteers are currently needed.

“Meals on Wheels services enable our clients to be independent in their own homes for longer, most people prefer to live at home but in many cases they need support to accomplish this.

“Often a Meals on Wheels meal is the highest source of daily nutritional content for a client who would otherwise exist on tea and toast; improving nutrition can help reduce the likelihood of falls and other associated health risks in older people.

“Other than this, the service is ‘more than just a meal’. Meals on Wheels volunteers are often the only daily point of contact for our clients, this interaction helps to decrease the feeling of social isolation and assists in monitoring their health and wellbeing”, concluded Mrs Egan.

Moree Plains Shire Council’s Community Development team was quick to recognise the necessity of this service in our community and responded by volunteering their assistance to distribute meals. This extended to other employees of Council, who were happy to volunteer their time.

Council’s Director of Planning and Community Development Angus Witherby recognised that Council’s Community Development team was well placed to support the Meals on Wheels service, particularly with many other face-to-face initiatives on hold with COVID-19.

“The recommendation concerning people aged over 70 staying to in their homes resulted in less volunteers being available to deliver meals but also increased the demand for meal delivery.

“Without a service like Meals on Wheels, many elderly residents in our community are at a higher risk of premature admission into residential care.

 “It is critical to ensure services like Meals on Wheels is supported throughout the pandemic so that they are not forced to close their doors and the community loses an essential service”, said Mr Witherby.

Meals on wheels operates through Moree Care and services residents in both Moree and Mungindi.

Moree Care is currently looking for more volunteers to help deliver meals, for more information contact Moree Care on 1300 593 113.

Photograph: Council staff volunteering for Meals on Wheels.