When we first heard about COVID-19 in February 2020, we had little idea of the impact it would have on our lives for the next 12-18 months.
Amidst lockdowns and consumer panic buying, Meals on Wheels as an essential service, continued to provide their much-needed, vital support at a time where it was needed most.
We are proud of our network of 592 services and the over 45,000 incredible volunteers who stepped up to the plate, adapted to every new challenge and shift in operations and demonstrated immense resilience.
The strong advocacy and credibility of Meals on Wheels Australia resulted in direct additional funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We thank the Australian Government for reinforcing Meals on Wheels’ essential service through the provision of $50 million to provide nutritious and flavoursome meals to vulnerable Australians at a time where services were faced with unprecendented, increased demand and unanticipated operating expenses.
Following the advice from the Department of Health, Meals on Wheels services ensured the health, safety and wellbeing of vulnerable Australians during this uncertain time and increased precautions to protect both customers and volunteers.
These included practising good hand hygiene, wearing face masks (when required), the use of hand sanitiser at each delivery and maintaining a physical distance of 1.5m between customers and volunteers.
We thank our volunteers and network of services for their unwavering commitment and dedication to our mission and for enabling continual service throughout these challenging times.
For more information on COVID-19, please refer to the Department of Health website.
- If you would like further factual advice you can contact the 24-hour National Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080.
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for older Australians
