Originally Published June 7 2022
A SIMPLE concept of delivering meals to Gannawarra’s most vulnerable has turned into one of the shire’s best success stories.
And it’s the stories shared over the dining table between recipients and volunteers that’s the real winner.
Then-Gannawarra Shire president Alan Opie officiated a ribbon cutting ceremony on October 1, 1971, commemorating the start of the Meals on Wheels program in the Gannawarra. Now, 50 years later, the mainly volunteer-run service is an indispensable part of the community.
“It is an essential program to ensure our most vulnerable are not at risk of nutritional disadvantage or becoming socially isolated,” Gannawarra Shire Council community care manager Carole Wandin said.
“It is a great opportunity for our residents to have a friendly face to call on them each day.
“The relationships made between volunteers and residents are long lasting and very important to their health and wellbeing.”
Meals on Wheels celebrated their 50th anniversary during National Volunteer Week, after having to postpone it last year due to the COVID pandemic – an event that proved a great challenge for the program beyond delaying celebrations.
“During COVID, everybody found it very difficult, and it was a challenge to coordinate in-home services like Meals on Wheels to our most vulnerable residents,” Ms Wandin said.
“We worked in partnership with both Kerang District Health and Cohuna District Hospital to ensure we had enough back-up stock in preparation for staff reductions if we were hit hard by the pandemic,” Ms Wandin said.
To keep the volunteers safe, the delivery of meals to residents by volunteers was initially replaced by community care workers. However, since vaccinations came into place, the program is now using a combination of volunteers and staff again,
While Ms Wandin is extremely appreciative of all the Meals on Wheels volunteers for their assistance over the years, she wanted to give a special shout out to Margaret Dunne, from Cohuna, and Allison McKenzie and Fran Crosbie, from Kerang, who are also celebrating their 50 years as volunteers, having been a part of the program since it’s commencement .
Council chief executive Tom O’Reilly believes the volunteers play a pivotal role within the community.
“Since its creation to support Shire of Kerang residents, the Meals on Wheels program has grown to a program supported by council, Cohuna District Hospital and Kerang District Health, with 224 volunteers delivering up to 14,000 meals a year to resident throughout the municipality prior to the COVID pandemic,” Mr O’Reilly said.
However, over the past two years, the program has lost 44 of their volunteers, but has put the call out to try and gain more volunteers as Meal on Wheels ramps up as life returns to normalcy.
If you would like to become a volunteer with Meals on Wheels or any of the Gannawarra Shire Council’s programs, visit www.gsc.vic.gov.au/volunteer.
