The local “heroes” of Meals on Wheels Central Coast will step into the national spotlight, as their enormous contribution in their local communities is marked on National Meals on Wheels Day.

This annual celebration, held on Wednesday 28th August this year, recognises the work of the organisation’s volunteers in NSW. In the course of a year, volunteers deliver over 160,000 meals to more than 700 meal recipients across the Central Coast.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast is so much ‘more than just a meal’. Support from their service makes a real difference in improving health outcomes while reducing health and aged care costs. As well as delivering tasty and nourishing meals that are designed to meet the nutritional needs of older people, Meals on Wheels Central Coast volunteers bring a daily dose of companionship and human connection, and peace of mind for clients and their families.

Eating well helps people to age well. Each year, Meals on Wheels Central Coast supports the community by delivering not only meals, but by providing social support in the form of community restaurants, lunch programs, shopping buses and assisted shopping outings.
Essential to these services are the contribution of the organisations many volunteers.

“Our volunteers are the backbone of Meals on Wheels Central Coast” said Dennis Taylor, CEO of Meals on Wheels Central Coast. “They assist us to nourish communities both nutritionally and socially, and they form part of one of the most gratifying volunteer programs in the world”.

“We actively encourage wellness and choice as living at home independently is precious. We look forward to assisting our community for many years to come”.

Clients can self-refer to Meals on Wheels if they believe they may benefit from the service or they can be referred, for example by a health practitioner or family member.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast is always looking for new volunteers to contribute just a few hours a fortnight. For more information, visit www.ccmow.com.au or call 4357 8444.

A dedicated wife, 5 children, 16 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren, 8 great great grandchildren, and 14 neighbours … that’s who helped celebrate Meals on Wheels Central Coast client Jack’s 100^th birthday recently.

They came from near and far to celebrate the birthday of this amazing man, with family travelling from Perth, Darwin and Rockhampton to join in the festivities. With the youngest attendee being 17 weeks, and the oldest the guest of honour, there was much fun to be had at this special event.

A client for 5 years, one of Jack and wife Joan’s favourite things about Meals on Wheels Central Coast is the variety of food and the convenience of the pre prepared meals. The meal sizes are perfect for them, along with the choice of menu items for those with special dietary needs.

We think that they quite enjoy having our wonderful Client Service Officer Lyn visit them also!

Happy Birthday Jack!

 

On Saturday 17 August, we were lucky enough to travel to the Hunter Valley for a team building trip.

Thanks to Oakvale Wines and Kelman Vineyard for their hospitality. We thoroughly enjoyed the wine tasting sessions and your knowledge. Thank

you for making our day a wonderful one.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast and Kariong Neighbourhood Centre have put a joint application in to the My Community Project (a NSW Government initiative), and we would love your help!

Working together for our community, our aim is gain funding for a bus that will assist both youth and the elderly on the Central Coast.

To vote, you must live in the Gosford electorate. Follow the voting instructions below:

A) If you have a Service NSW online account you can vote via the web. Go to:

www.mycommunityproject.service.nsw.gov.au
Select Gosford from the drop down list and Browse Projects
Choose “Joint Community Services Bus – for connecting communities” as a preference. You need to choose 3 – 5 projects, however make our Project your number 1 choice.
Click the red Vote button.

NOTE: you will need to login in to your Service NSW account and have your medicare card handy for validation purposes for the voting process

OR

B) Pop into your local Service NSW Centre and vote in person.

Voting closes on 15 August. Thank you for supporting Meals on Wheels Central Coast and Kariong Neighbourhood Centre and our local Community.

 

Eating with others not only has health, nutritional, mental and social benefits, it’s also good for the soul. This can be especially important for older members of our community, when social isolation can cause feelings of loneliness which in turn can lead to illness.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast (MOWCC) are helping to combat the effects of social isolation with the addition of a new Community Restaurant at their Woy Woy outlet.

Opening on Friday 3 May, the Community Restaurant will run from 9.30am to 1.30pm and will offer not only a choice of meal options including morning tea, hot lunch and dessert, but also bingo, games and entertainment.

At a low cost of $12, this is an ideal way to mingle with others, make new friends and combat social isolation. Transport can also be arranged for those needing this service.

The MOWCC Community Restaurants have served up nutritious meal options for many a year, attracting local members of the community who attend on a regular basis. This new restaurant will be a welcome addition to the established ones at Bateau Bay (Tuesdays and Thursdays), Woy Woy (Tuesdays) and West Gosford (Fridays).

“Our Community Restaurants provide much needed social interaction for our clients,” said Dennis Taylor, CEO of Meals on Wheels Central Coast.

“Our attendance rates are consistently high, and due to this high demand we have decided to launch a new Restaurant at our Woy Woy outlet.

“We look forward to welcoming members of our community to Woy Woy, so they can enjoy some nutritious meal choices from our specialised Community Restaurant Menu’s as well as some social interaction,” Mr Taylor said.

This is just one of the social support mechanism’s that MOWCC have in place for their clients, with volunteers performing regular welfare checks during meal deliveries to homes across the Coast, many of them staying for a cup of tea and a chat. Along with assisted shopping and a Peninsula shopping bus, Meals on Wheels Central Coast really is ‘more than just a meal’.

For more information on their Community Restaurants, meal delivery and social support programs, please visit www.ccmow.com.au or call 4357 8444. Bookings to attend Community Restaurants are essential.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast is giving service providers and potential clients the opportunity to ‘try before they buy’ at an Open Day at their Woy Woy outlet on Thursday 7 March.

The iconic Central Coast Company will throw open its doors between 11am and 1pm, with prospective clients, their families and carers, as well as service providers from around the Coast expected to visit.

There will be information available to visitors on the myriad of services on offer by Meals on Wheels Central Coast (MOWCC). Known for their catch phrase, ‘More than Just a Meal’, this iconic Central Coast Company offers not only meal delivery, but social support via their Flexi Foods and Community Restaurant programs.  Being a NDIS registered Company, they can also make meal planning easier for those with NDIS plans.

For those interested in what the food is actually like, there will be the opportunity to partake in some taste testing, with one of MOWCC’s suppliers, The Good Meal Co, in attendance to hand out samples.

Information will also be available regarding home care package and NDIS plan assistance with members of the MOWCC team on hand to answer questions about the services on offer.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast’s CEO, Dennis Taylor, said Open Day is a great opportunity to show the community that they really are ‘more than just a meal’.

“We have been a vital part of the community for over 50 years now, and are trusted by over 700 Central Coast residents and their families,” he said.

“Our Open Day will reaffirm to the community that we are here to stay and show them that we can assist with not only delivery of meals, but the essential social support mechanisms that many miss out on.

“Being NDIS registered, we can also assist those who have meals listed on their NDIS plan. They can be assured that they will receive quality Australian produced meals at a very competitive rate,” Mr Taylor said.

The MOWCC Open Day will be held on Thursday 7 March, from 11am to 1pm at Meals on Wheels Central Coast, Yaringaa Building, 93 McMasters Road, Woy Woy. To register your interest email marketing@ccmow.com.au or call 0447 074 161.

Seniors across the Central Coast will be increasing their fitness and flexibility over the next couple of weeks in Gentle Movement classes hosted by Meals on Wheels Central Coast as part of NSW Seniors Festival 2019.

Open to all senior members of the community, the Gentle Movement classes aim to increase strength, flexibility, balance and fitness as well as lowering stress and increasing self esteem.

Held in conjunction with Insight Exercise Physiology, classes will be held at Toukley and Woy Woy and will run for an hour duration. There will be no charge for these gentle movement sessions with light refreshments also provided.

Classes will be held at Toukley Presbyterian Church Hall on Thursday 14 February and Friday 22 February from 10am to 11am, and at Meals on Wheels Central Coast’s Woy Woy outlet on Friday 22 February from 11.15 to 12.15.

It’s a great time to grab your joggers and comfy clothes and get ready to get your circulation flowing with these classes that will accommodate individual needs.

For more information or to book in, contact 4357 8444 or email marketing@ccmow.com.au

Every Friday at Evergreen Life Care’s Community Centre, a group gathers in the function room. As attendees of Meals on Wheels Central Coast’s Community Restaurant, they are treated to a delicious hot meal and dessert, before playing games such as bingo and trivia.

The Community Restaurants are an important aspect of the work that Meals on Wheels Central Coast do in the local community and the provision of a healthy, well balanced meal forms an essential part of this social activity.

Following a hot main meal, patrons are treated to a homemade dessert, created by owner of The Sandpiper, a café located within the Evergreen Life Care Community Centre. Wandid Young, from the Wadi Wadi tribe of the Yuin Nation on the South Coast, has lived on the Central Coast for 35 years, and is not only actively involved in the local Indigenous community, but she has enjoyed serving up her treats to the community for the last couple of years from her Café.

Knowing what the Meals on Wheels Central Coast clients enjoy is at the front of Wandid’s mind. Only serving up food that she knows is delicious, Wandid has also introduced some native herbs to her cooking, giving the Community Restaurant attendees a taste of her culture.

“The customers at the Community Restaurant thank me for the desserts on their way out. During my time at The Sandpiper I’ve served up Wattle Seed based Cheesecake and Anise Myrtle Polenta Cake and everyone enjoys the subtle flavours in them”, said Wandid.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast and Wandid work together in The Sandpiper Cafe every Friday, Wandid allowing the Community Restaurant to do meal preparation whilst she works alongside them. The arrangement has suited them both well, and with Wandid now serving up desserts to accompany the meals, they both look forward to further developing their relationship.

“We are pleased to have built up a relationship with Wandid Young, the owner of The Sandpiper” said Dennis Taylor, CEO of Meals on Wheels Central Coast.

“Our aim is to provide a nutritious and well balanced meal to our Community Restaurant customers, and Wandid’s produce has added extra value to this important social program.

“We look forward to working with Wandid and Evergreen Life Care in the future to further cement our working relationship”, Mr Taylor said.

Meals on Wheels Central Coast run 4 Community Restaurants a week. The Community Restaurant at Evergreen Life Care at West Gosford is held on Fridays between 10am and 2pm, with additional Community Restaurants being held at Bateau Bay on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 2pm, and Woy Woy on Tuesdays between 9.30 and 1.30pm.

For further information on the Community Restaurants, please contact Meals on Wheels Central Coast on 4357 8444 or email admin@ccmow.com.au

 

Thank you to Emma McBride MP, Federal Member for Dobell, and Councillor Jillian Hogan from Central Coast Council for visiting us today. We are excited about collaborating together on youth volunteering initiatives for our community.