MEALS on Wheels recently celebrated its national day which was held on August 31 and was a day of saying thanks to all that Meals on Wheels does in our community with the Coolum Beach Meals on Wheels in operation for some 40 years!
The Meals on Wheels concept originated in Britain during WWII, with local communities delivering meals to elderly, frail people in their homes. The first Australian service began in 1953 when Mrs Watts pedalled a tricycle around South Melbourne. The first meal was soup, roast lamb and plum pudding and cost 1/3d (around 13 cents).
In Queensland in 1956 Mrs Rhoda Cameron of Ipswich saw the need for a service to help feed the elderly. On an overseas trip to England, she saw a form of meals service in operation and felt this was something needed in her community.
Our local Meals on Wheels service in Coolum Beach commenced in 1982 with meals being prepared by a local group of volunteers at the Uniting Church hall. The first meals were delivered on May 31, 1982, to nine clients in their homes. The local community raised the funds to build the current premises in Santa Monica Avenue.
Coolum Beach Meals on Wheels have a chef and a kitchen run by volunteers who prepare over 400 healthy nutritious meals per week. The delivery team of over 100 volunteers delivers these meals across the Coolum district. The service is regularly told by their clients and their families how much they enjoy the meals and how it has changed their lives and enabled them to remain in their homes.
President Sue Green said that they are always on the lookout for more volunteers.
“Why not give up a couple of hours a month to help us deliver this wonderful service to the community”. Contact Coolum Beach Meals on Wheels on 5446 1000 if you would like to volunteer.