Published on Tuesday, 29 November 2022 at 12:15:00 PM

Caption: Shire of Coolgardie wins National award for Meals on Wheels program

The Shire of Coolgardie’s independently run Meals on Wheels service was recognised on a National stage this week, after winning the Meals On Wheels Australia Service Excellence Award for 2022.

Meals on Wheels Australia is the peak body for community meals providers in Australia and is supported by over 590 services and 45,000 volunteers across the country. This year, the organisation ran their first national awards program in honour of the late Alison Meighan, a dedicated and passionate Meals on Wheels volunteer and advocate.

The Shire of Coolgardie’s Meals on Wheels program, which has been running for over two and half years, has provided much-needed assistance to the community especially during the peak of Covid-19 cases. Without government funding, the Shire of Coolgardie has successfully continued these services, creating a unique program of meal delivery and welfare checks that supports the most vulnerable members of the community.

The President of Meals on Wheels Australia, Sharyn Broer has extended a hearty congratulations to the Shire of Coolgardie, “The development of this start-up Meals on Wheels program, which operates without Commonwealth Government funding, epitomises the values and spirit of Meals on Wheels.

The community collaboration and can-do attitude required to establish and sustain this service that benefits older customers, staff and volunteers alike is extraordinary and commendable, befitting the inaugural winners of this coveted Award.”

The program not only provides residents with free and nutritious meals, but it also became a welfare check on clients in our regional towns throughout the Shire. This service now delivers meals twice a week to 55 customers with the support of 15 paid staff and 10 volunteers through collaboration regional WA corporations.

“During COVID, we identified a real need for our senior citizens to have access to healthy meals during the pandemic and we worked hard to get the Meals on Wheels program established, including the recovery period and beyond,” said Malcolm Cullen, President of the Shire of Coolgardie.

“In the two years this program has been running, we’ve delivered over 13,000 meals to community members, which is something to be proud of.”

“To win the Service Excellence Award in the inaugural Alison Meighan Awards is an honour and a reflection of the passion, drive and commitment of all stakeholders involved in the program. We have high-level corporate partners through to individual members of the community that assist Shire staff; it truly is a team effort.”

To learn more about the Shire’s Meals on Wheels program, visit www.coolgardie.wa.gov.au/community/seniors/meals-on-wheels.aspx

To learn more about the Alison Meighan Award winners from Meals on Wheels Australia, visit mealsonwheels.org.au

For media enquiries, please contact:

Bree Crawley

Community Development Team Leader

P: 9080 2111

E: ecdc@coolgardie.wa.gov.au

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