Thank you to the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald for featuring an article this week about our Meals on Wheels Cumbria service to Penrith.

'In the 18 months since Meals on Wheels Cumbria launched its service in Penrith, more than 5,000 meals have been delivered across the town.  The service is available to anyone who struggles to make meals for themselves through age or ill-health.  A dedicated team of local volunteers deliver freshly cooked meals from the distribution hub at The Church in the Barn.

CEO David Price said that bringing the service to Penrith was “something that we’ve wanted to do for quite a few years – for some time Meals on Wheels Cumbria has operated in Carlisle, Wigton, Brampton and Longtown but finally, after many requests, we were able to bring the service to Penrith.  We’d like to extend a massive thank you to the local volunteers and organisations that have made the last 18 months possible”. 
 
A key aspect of launching the service has been the local volunteer team who provide a friendly hello with the meals they deliver.  Many of the team make deliveries once a week like Pauline, who has been volunteering since the start of the Penrith service. She feels that ‘it’s a real privilege to be able to help the local community this way.  I really enjoy meeting the clients, and as some of them are vulnerable then I’m sure it is also reassuring to their family that we are checking on them during the day. So many of the clients comment on how they enjoy the freshly cooked meals, which arrive at their home hot and ready to eat”. 
 
Meals on Wheels Cumbria currently have availability for people to join the service.  If you, or anyone you know, would benefit from a hot meal delivered each weekday or you’d like to join the volunteer team, you can get in touch with the Meals on Wheels Cumbria team on their website www.mealsonwheelscumbria.org or by calling 01768 877977.'

​We're very happy to announce that we have received £20,000 from the Big Lottery Fund to help support our volunteer drivers. This allows us to keep paying mileage expenses to cover the city, towns and most importantly, our rural rounds. In the past 12 months our volunteers have travelled 60,000 miles.
Could you be a future volunteer? Have a look at our Volunteer page and get in touch to join our teams.

What does the NHS winter surge mean for us? Over the last 12 months we have been working with the NHS and other agencies to try and shorten hospital time for patients. This means we supply meals to those who might only need them temporarily while they recover their health, as well as those with longer term needs. Good nutrition is a key to recovery and our goal, as always, is to provide for all who request help.

Numbers have risen significantly and at present, we serve 180 meals per day, hot and delivered to the door by our volunteers. While the present crisis might leave you feeling helpless, there is something you can do. We need more volunteer drivers - we have asked before and have lots of lovely people giving their time - yet the demand keeps increasing. If you have a car and can give some time weekdays, give us a call on 01228 267167 and talk to Trish. Mileage expenses paid. You can make a difference!