Congratulations to One Direct Connect, t/a Meals on Wheels Central Coast, Board Director Janelle Reid on the birth of her baby boy. William James Reid made an appearance late last week and we are thrilled to say both mother and child are doing well.

We are grateful that Janelle, a lawyer, is also on our Governance Sub Committee, is very dedicated to our organisation and was able to attend Board meetings throughout her pregnancy via Zoom.

Ron Thomsen, Vice Chair, commented that in his almost 20 years of NFP Board service he can’t recall a serving Director pregnancy on any other Board, Janelle is a first in his experience.

Ron said that in terms of Governance he is very pleased that the One Direct Connect (ODC) investment in younger Board Directors has been very beneficial in terms of diversification of thoughts, this has also presented other and welcome considerations.

“Succession planning is always a challenge in achieving desired skill and experience mixes, but at ODC we are well catered for, and William has his name on a possible future vacancy if so desired,” he said.

Another Board Director who is also a lawyer, Raea Khan, has announced that he and his wife Holly, are expecting a child in February 2020, which is more great news.

“The average age of our Board continues to come down, although we still have experience to invest and assist new Directors, and we are conscious that we need impetus and drive in a changing environment which is an important measure of our Board’s investment in the future” Mr Thomsen said.

At ODC we embrace a well balanced Board but also equal opportunity. However, Ron says we may need to introduce a crèche facility for future Board meetings! Which will be another NFP Board first!

One Direct Connect Limited, trading as Meals on Wheels Central Coast, has welcomed a new Chairperson to their Board of Governance.

Jordan Bryant was elected Chair at the Annual General Meeting, held on Wednesday 28 October. Jordan has been a voluntary Board Member since 2018, and after serving as Vice Chair for the past year, has stepped up to the helm of the iconic Central Coast organisation.

Jordan is a CPA qualified accountant having a successful career spanning the last 10 years predominantly in FMCG. His expertise in management accounting stems from several roles across supply chain, logistics and manufacturing. Jordan has well-honed analytical skills enabling him to be innovative in the way he approaches continuous improvement initiatives.

Jordan paid tribute to the years of volunteer dedication and Board involvement by past Chair in Ron Thomsen. Mr Thomsen joined the Meals on Wheels Central Coast Board in 2011, and since then has held the position of Treasurer for 5 years, as well as being Chairperson from 2016 to 2020. Mr Thomsen will remain on the Board as Vice Chair and continue to volunteer his time to One Direct Connect and its subsidiary groups including One Direct Advisory.

The One Direct Connect Board is made up of:

Jordan Bryant, Chair

Ron Thomsen, Vice Chair

Brian Freeman, Treasurer

Ray Mainwaring

Raea Khan

Ted Coupe

Janelle Reid

Stephanie Blower

Gail Ransley, Non Sitting Board Secretary

Meals on Wheels Central Coast cater to over 800 clients on the Central Coast, delivering around 16,000 meals per month to the elderly and People with Disability.

Jordan Bryant, Chairperson

Drum roll, please ……. Here is the premiere of our new Meals on Wheels Central Coast advertisement. Thanks to our lovely client Shirley for starring in it alongside Lyn, our Client Service Officer, and Ken, one of our wonderful volunteers 🙂

Meals on Wheels Central Coast volunteer Paula Hardwick has been named as the winner of the Volunteering Central Coast Volunteer of the Year 2020 Award in celebration of National Volunteer Week. The Awards, that are held every year, acknowledge the contributions that volunteers make to the Central Coast community.

Paula has shared her shiny disposition with Meals on Wheels Central Coast clients for over the past 21 years, brightening the lives of clients as she delivers meals to their doors.

Paula brings not only joy and a smile, but she also dresses up in themed outfits for her meal delivery runs. Recently Paula has been sighted delivering meals dressed as a unicorn, pilot, and as a pirate, taking the time to go the extra mile to bring smiles to the faces of those she visits.

When she can, Paula also assists with Meals on Wheels Central Coast Community Restaurants. Although not currently running due to COVID-19, Paula is keen to get back to helping at these when they re-open.

“Paula is a wonderful asset to our organisation,” CEO of Meals on Wheels Central Coast Dennis Taylor said.

“It takes a special person to volunteer and Paula is the highlight in many a clients’ day. She, along with all of our volunteers, help combat social isolation, which is incredibly important especially in the current climate.

“We celebrate and acknowledge all of them this National Volunteer Week,” Mr Taylor said.

Paula will be able to accept her award at a special presentation on 4 November 2020 at the Volunteering Expo to be held at Erina.

It is due to volunteers like Paula that Meals on Wheels Central Coast can deliver over 15,000 meals to around 800 clients per month.

This week (18 to 24 May) we celebrate our volunteers during National Volunteer Week.

Thank you for the amazing energy, warmth, and compassion that you bring to our community. Thank you for all that you do – we couldn’t do it without you.

Take a look at this great news piece from NBN Central Coast, featuring our very own volunteer Paula Hardwick with a cameo appearance by our CSO, Lyn.

CENTRAL COAST VOLUNTEERS ADAPT TO COVID-19

The NRMA rolled into Evergreen Life Care at West Gosford today to assist Meals on Wheels Central Coast deliver meals to residents.

The NRMA announced last week that it would be assisting Meals on Wheels Central Coast deliver meals to the more vulnerable members of the community who are experiencing social isolation.
The meal deliveries at Evergreen Life Care are in lieu of the regular Community Restaurants that were held prior to the COVID-19 social distancing regulations.

As residents can no longer gather in the community hall for their Friday get together, Meals on Wheels Central Coast are taking freshly prepared hot meals to their front doors, practising social distancing procedures as they do so.

“Our clients at Evergreen Life Care are really enjoying the hot meal service that we are offering whilst the Community Restaurant is on hold,” Dennis Taylor CEO of Meals on Wheels Central Coast said.

“Although our volunteers maintain their distance socially, they are still able to have a quick chat to our clients from a safe distance, which in this time of isolation is extremely important.

“Having NRMA step in to assist us shows great community spirit and is very much appreciated. Having their team members volunteer means that we can get the hot meals to our clients in a more streamlined manner,” Mr Taylor said.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast cater to over 800 clients on the Central Coast, delivering around 15,000 meals per month to the elderly and People with Disability.

For more information on Meals on Wheels Central Coast, contact 4357 8444 or email admin@ccmow.com.au

Amy Baulman, Volunteer Coordinator Meals on Wheels Central Coast with Alexa from NRMA

Vulnerable members of our community have been given a boost by a generous donation to Meals on Wheels Central Coast.

The $600 donation was provided by Arti Sham from Rajshahi Indian Restaurant at Wyoming.

Arti wanted to reach out and help the Central Coast community by providing meals to the elderly and People with Disability, and Meals on Wheels Central Coast fell right into that category.

“We are so excited that we are able to give back to the community,” Arti Sham, Manager of Rajshahi Indian Restaurant said.

“Meals on Wheels Central Coast provides a great service to the local community and we are thrilled that we can assist them with our donation.

“We have been able to pay it forward to local community groups and organisations over the past few weeks and we are grateful that we can assist our community in this way,’ Ms Sham said.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast delivers around 15,000 meals per month to around 800 clients on the Central Coast. This donation will assist them to provide vital services to their clients.

“We are extremely grateful to Rajshahi Indian Restaurant for this donation,” CEO of Meals on Wheels Central Coast Dennis Taylor said.

“This monetary donation will assist with the provision of meals to clients who are vulnerable and need extra assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Mr Taylor said.

For more information on the services that Meals on Wheels Central Coast provide or to donate, please visit www.ccmow.com.au, call 4357 8444 or email admin@ccmow.com.au

Dennis Taylor, CEO Meals on Wheels Central Coast, with Arti Sham, David Gill, Kanta Sham and Radhaya Sham from Rajshahi Indian Restaurant