A Meals on Wheels service which is helping Kendal’s elderly and most isolated people to continue living independently is reaching out for more volunteers to come on board to help expand the service to five days a week.
The catering team at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) currently runs the service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with the help of volunteers and members of Kendal Rotary Club. The service launched in November 2020 and currently serves up to 10 meals per day.
It is looking for people to volunteer up to an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays to deliver meals. Volunteers using their own vehicle can claim mileage expenses through the Trust.
Tracy Litt, Catering Manager at UHMBT, said: “We want to be able to expand the service and help more people in Kendal who are elderly or feeling vulnerable or isolated. All of the feedback we have had from our customers has been positive – they love the meals and seeing a friendly face delivering them.
“All of our volunteers say that it is such a rewarding thing to do. If you are looking for a volunteer role, have a car and can spare up to an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays I would encourage you to get in touch.”
As well as making meals for patients at Westmorland General Hospital and its staff, the catering team spends up to three hours a day making dishes for the Meals on Wheels, using freshly sourced products from local suppliers. Dishes include meat and potato pie with beetroot and mushy peas, tomato and basil pasta bake, a cold option such as a salad and bread roll, and warm sponge pudding or cold fruit salad. They also offer specialist diets for people who are gluten-free or who require a soft consistency diet or a puree diet.
If you are interested in volunteering for the Meals on Wheels service in Kendal you can contact Tracy Litt on tracy.litt@mbht.nhs.uk or 01229491001.