Meals on Wheels Bathurst introduces discount for volunteers

All volunteers are now receiving a 25 per cent discount on meals, making an average meal cost less than $8.

With the cost of living increasing, being able to access highly nutritious meals at a lower cost could come in handy for many households.

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Meals on Wheels Bathurst manager Sarah Thomas said the main reason behind the discount was to thank existing volunteers, who have gone above and beyond during a difficult time for the food delivery service.

"We've lost about 25 per cent of our volunteer workforce since the beginning of the pandemic, but we still manage to get every meal to every person on time, because everyone else has just picked up the load," she said.

"Our capacity has sort of opened up that we've got the ability now [to offer a discount], and so I thought it was a nice opportunity to just thank them really."

It is also hoped that the prospect of a discount on meals could encourage more people to donate their time.

"If there's any positive that could benefit us, it would be that we will get a few more volunteers, or that other people in the general public will hear about how good our meals are and might want to come and get their own meals," Ms Thomas said.

Meals on Wheels has a variety of volunteer roles available, including positions on the board of management, in administration, packing meals in the kitchen, delivering meals to clients' homes, and driving the delivery truck to destinations beyond Bathurst.

The latter requires a C-class licence, while anyone - including P-platers - can deliver meals locally provided they have a licence and their own vehicle.

Ms Thomas said volunteers can be of any age, they just need to have availability on weekdays and be willing to obtain a police check.

She said volunteering can be a very rewarding experience.

"Whenever you speak to any of the volunteers, they talk about that good feeling that they get that they're helping somebody in their community," she said.

"There are actually positive health benefits to volunteering. People who volunteer live longer and are healthier as well, that is statistically accurate."

The meal discount applies to all meals purchased by volunteers.

While frozen meals can sometimes be purchased from the supermarket for less, Ms Thomas said they do not have the same nutritional value as what Meals on Wheels offers.

"Ours are made to meet nutritional guidelines, so we average 40 grams of protein per meal, which doesn't compare to what you receive in the shopping centres," she said.

"Some of those things say high protein, and it's only got 10 grams, so we're genuinely high-protein meals.

"You've got a full, healthy, balanced meal that you can feel good about eating, not just a quick convenience grab and you sacrifice that nutrition."

For more information about volunteering or the services at Meals on Wheels, contact the organisation on 6331 8231.

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