Meals on Wheels celebrates 50 years delivering goodness

Nambour Meals on Wheels marked 50 years of delivering food and a friendly chat with a  celebration at Grounded Cafe Woombye last Friday afternoon (October 29).

“We deliver healthy meals to clients’ homes to not only ensure their nutritional requirements are being met, but to provide regular social contact and a friendly check to see all is well,” said Service Manager Jennifer Waldroff.

Included among the people celebrating was volunteer Viiu Benson who has been delivering goodness for 37 of those 50 years. 

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” said Viiu of her outstanding record. “You work with nice people and the people we deliver to are lovely. They become like your family and you can’t stay home.”

Viiu, 84, said as she got older the workload became such that she recruited her son, Lauri Pesonen, to help.  

“Mum said ‘if you don’t come and help me I’m not going to be able to do it all by myself’,” said Lauri. 

Meawnhile Jessie Madsen has been with Meals on Wheels for 27 years. When asked why she volunteered the 82 year-old joked ironically  that she “enjoyed helping the elderly”.  

The event coincided with Seniors Month and was supported by COTA.

• Nambour Meals on Wheels is at 21A Price Street, Nambour. Call Jennifer on 5441 3543 if you would like to volunteer or you would like to start receiving meals. 

From left, Nambour Meals on Wheels volunteers Viiu Benson and Jess Madsen with Service Manager Jennifer Waldroff and President Ray Barber.