Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference, that couldn’t be truer for Ann, a beneficiary of the Nuneaton & Bedworth Healthy Living Network’s Meals on Wheels service.
The pandemic caused an immediate social void in the lives of many vulnerable and isolated people. Thankfully, with the help of a £1,500 grant from the Coronavirus Resilience Fund, Healthy Living Network launched their food delivery service and telephone support after the community centre that they worked from closed.
The service ensured their elderly community all got a decent meal and some much-needed social contact – even if it’s just a quick chat on the doorstep.
Ann is just one of the 72 people receiving weekly meals:
“You always know that you’ve got a dinner on a Friday, and there’s no shopping about for vegetables, I’m rubbish at that. It’s just nice to see a friendly face bring it and they’ve been so good to me over this lockdown. In the meals we get fresh vegetables, roast chicken, beef casserole, anything you can think of, they’ve done it!
“When they said they were stopping their normal services and moving to deliveries to keep their staff employed I was all for it. If we can’t return to the community centre I hope they continue to provide the meals on wheels service. I think it’s great, a big advantage.
“I first joined the community after my husband passed away. It was nice to go because I live alone. It was awful during lockdown, not being able to go anywhere and I was really lonely because my daughter lives further away and couldn’t visit.”
David, Ann’s regular delivery driver, arrived cracking a joke and handing over her weekly meal – casserole is on the menu this week!
With a smile on her face Ann summed-up:
“They’ve just helped me through the lockdown, if we do end up going back to the centre I will miss this service as it would be one or the other. When I realised this service would be keeping people employed, I knew I had to do it.”
Read more case studies from our Annual Review 2020/21 here.