South Gloucestershire Community Meals service has continued to prepare meals for vulnerable and shielding residents during the COVID-19 pandemic with a near 50 per cent increase in meals being prepared and delivered by the service.
Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources, Cllr Ben Burton recently visited some of the staff working on the front line who are preparing the community meals and drivers and redeployed staff who are making sure the food is delivered to those in need; to lend a hand and thank them for their efforts.
The Community Meals team deliver meals across South Gloucestershire to individual homes (including warden controlled homes), retirement villages and care homes, and the service includes a welfare check for every customer.
Cllr Burton said:
“I wholeheartedly thank the team for their commitment and for stepping-up their production of meals to cope with a surge in demand during the pandemic, with those who are shielding and self-isolating requiring meals to be delivered in addition to our regular service users.
“It was a useful insight for me to me to talk to some of the staff and help to put together some of the meals which are delivered across South Gloucestershire to places like care homes, retirement villages and also to vulnerable individuals who may be at home needing to self-isolate. For some residents, the daily contact they have with us is vitally important and our workers are a lifeline in terms of checking on their welfare - for some it will be the only person they see all day. A friendly smile and a nutritious meal always helps to raise spirits.”
The Community Meals service has been operating out of kitchens at Little Stoke Primary School and from our head office at Badminton Road in Yate during the COVID-19 outbreak.
While the majority of our office based staff are currently working from home, the kitchens at Badminton Road are being used by the service to meet the increase in demand.
Further information about our Community Meals service can be found at www.southglos.gov.uk/communitymeals
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