Deloraine Meals on Wheels turns fifty!
On Tuesday 27 July, Meals on Wheels held a special afternoon tea to celebrate the Deloraine Branch’s 50th anniversary.
Around 40 people attended Deloraine Community House, including Bev Jordan and Ruth How, two volunteers who have been involved with the branch for 50 years, and many others involved for over 25 years.
Jan Atkins, who began volunteering with Meals on Wheels in Deloraine in 1973, and Joan Pedley, who started in 1975, were awarded Life Membership of Deloraine Branch.
Deloraine Meals on Wheels started with a public meeting to establish the need for the service and find volunteers to deliver meals to the community.
Meals were first sourced from the local hospital at a cost of 25c to the clients, subsidised by the State Meals on Wheels Association
The first meals were delivered on a plate, put into a tin carry tray and then a large metal esky for transportation.
Bev Jordan recounts ‘the worst part for volunteers back then was that the volunteers had to do all the washing up of the containers and plates, which originally took place in their own homes’.
Many organisations have been involved with the delivery of meals, including the Ladies Delta Club, Rotary, Lions and Apex Clubs of Deloraine. Deloraine Meals on Wheels would like to thank them for their ongoing service.
Meals are now distributed from Deloraine House, sourced from Deloraine Aged Care for the last four years, but within recent months the service is provided several times a week from Uniting Age Well’s Latrobe facility, Strathdevon.
This allows Deloraine area clients to choose from up to five different main courses, along with soups, sandwiches, salads and desserts.
Meals on Wheels Tasmania CEO Rebecca Free said, ‘We would like to thank all of the team at Deloraine Meals on Wheels for their wonderful commitment and dedication to Meals on Wheels, and we look forward to celebrating in another 50 years time’.
