Clubs are helping keep the doors open for Meals on Wheels in Liverpool, where community service extends well beyond dinner delivery.
With every delivery of a meal comes something extra – and important – at the City of Liverpool Meals on Wheels service. A level of kindness and care. So much so that the service has been known to save lives.
Service manager Maryann Harris says a welfare check is made every time a meal is delivered. “We don’t place a box on the verandah and expect an elderly person to pick it up and take the meals in. Our volunteers make sure that the clients are home, and if they’re not, we will look for them,” Maryann says.
“Sometimes it could be that they forgot to cancel the meal, and that’s fine. But we have had instances where they have fallen inside (the house) or fallen in the backyard and haven’t been found until we’ve made that delivery.
“We don’t just take it for granted that they’re not home. We actually search for them.”
The Liverpool service delivers freshly cooked, nutritious meals to a wide variety of people in the local community who need them the most, including older adults, individuals with disabilities and carers. Even those who are recovering from illness or surgery who need temporary help can reach out to the service.
Demand for the meals has soared by 200 daily meals in the last 18 months, according to Maryann, who says that they now deliver 500 meals a day. These go out to Liverpool and beyond, to around 10 other services including Campbelltown, the Blue Mountains and as far as Bega.
The kitchen starts up at 4am each weekday, whipping up meals like meatloaf and gravy, chicken and leek pie, and pumpkin and spinach frittata. “They are all homemade wholesome meals with no preservatives in them,” Maryann explains, adding they are dishes that once upon a time the clients would have likely cooked for themselves. “We give them soup as well, sandwiches, fresh salads, desserts and breakfast packs.”
The volunteers then come in at 7am to help dish, seal, pack and label the meals, which then go out for delivery by volunteer drivers and runners between 10am and 12pm.
“Our volunteers can assist the clients. Some are more frail than others so they may need help putting (the meal) in the freezer and have a bit of a chat,” Maryann says. As the volunteers are often regulars, they may come back and report that the client was feeling poorly, or didn’t look well, in which case Maryann says they will contact the client’s next-of-kin or doctor.
“We advocate for them to make sure they are being looked after, because for some of the clients, we’re the only people they get to see all week,” she explains.
The service receives funding through the Federal Government’s Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP), which subsidises the delivery of nutritious meals to eligible older Australians living independently. “For people who are not eligible for CHSP funding or are under 65, we are still able to provide meals at the full, unsubsidised cost, ensuring that anyone in our community who requires a nutritious meal can access our service,” Maryann says.
“We would fight to the end to make sure we keep our doors open.”
Maryann, MoW
Sadly though, with the increased demand and ageing kitchen, the service is often low on funds. “Our government funding is limited and doesn’t fully cover the rising costs of food, kitchen supplies and our equipment maintenance, which we need to upkeep all the time,” says Maryann. That is where the support of local clubs like Liverpool Catholic Club and Mounties Group are vital.
“Without the support of ClubGRANTS, we wouldn’t survive,” she says, adding that the grants from local clubs have helped them to replace a freezer compressor and a dishwasher, along with providing hardship funds to keep the service open.
Just last year, the Liverpool Catholic Club supported Meals on Wheels, providing $7,000 for a new fridge. Maryann adds that the club has also provided in-kind donations like sausages for a fundraising barbecue and fuel vouchers for the volunteers who drive their own vehicles.
Volunteer Carolyn makes a delivery
Liverpool Catholic Club’s Danielle Tucic says it is a key priority for the club to support organisations like Meals on Wheels. “The club is committed to contributing to initiatives that make a meaningful difference to the lives of local residents, particularly those experiencing disadvantage, illness or social isolation,” Danielle says. “Meals on Wheels not only provides nutritious meals, but also offers valuable social interaction through its dedicated volunteers, helping to improve the wellbeing and quality of life of community members.
“A reliable commercial fridge is critical to the safe storage and distribution of meals to vulnerable members of the community. Without this equipment, Meals on Wheels would face significant challenges in continuing to provide nutritious meals to those who rely on the service.”
For Maryann and the volunteer team at Meals on Wheels, they are dedicated to keeping the service running, despite the increasing costs and demand. “Some of our services are exceeding what they should be supplying to the clients out there, but we’re not going to close our doors and say, ‘Oh sorry, our books are full, we’re not going to give you a meal.’
“We would fight to the end to make sure we keep our doors open.”
