Coronavirus, COVID-19: Bathurst Meals On Wheels sees 35% surge in demand

Requests for meals jumped 35 per cent when the pandemic hit as lockdowns and reports of panic buying in April left many elderly and vulnerable residents concerned about shopping.

Figures from April through to June this year confirm the spike in demand and Member for Bathurst Paul Toole last week visited Meals on Wheels' Bathurst headquarters to pay tribute to the unwavering dedication of all involved.

"Management, staff and volunteers are all going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the service continues despite these difficult times," Mr Toole said.

"Just coping with demand has been a magnificent achievement in itself because no one could have predicted a 35 per cent increase.

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"The Bathurst service provides meals to Bathurst and Oberon [but also] supplies Central West Food Services who then distribute to other organisations with a massive coverage from Kiama to Albury, Wentworth and all the way out to Lightning Ridge.

"In the next week alone Bathurst Meals on Wheels will cook more than 9600 meals. That's just an incredible effort for our local team."

Colin Hope from Bathurst Meals on Wheels said the pandemic continued to throw hurdles at the organisation, which means adapting to the changing circumstances.

"I think we've been doing very well and are coming through this OK," he said.

"There's been the challenges of supply and demand of product from the actual raw materials to things like packaging.

"We've left no stone unturned to ensure our volunteers are COVID-safe. I can't praise their dedication and commitment to the community enough."

Mr Hope said the NSW Government provided funding of nearly $300,000 for upgrades to Bathurst Meals and Wheels, including bigger and better ovens.

"This has allowed us to increase the number of meals we can produce and has been invaluable for us to try and cope with demand," Mr Hope said.

"We are still working towards other upgrades but, at the moment, we are focused on ensuring the service continues to operate efficiently despite the challenges of the pandemic."