‘We want to keep our doors open, but we will need more funding - it is essential for us’

Summerhill Meals-on-Wheels service experiencing worst income crisis in its 27-year history

A Summerhill Meals-on-Wheels service is appealing for help to avoid closure due to the worst funding crisis it has experienced in its 27 -year history.

Spiralling food and operational costs is making the viability of the service unsustainable and now the voluntary run initiative is appealing for donations in order to continue providing hot meals to over 50 people in the village and surrounding areas.

"The price of food has escalated and the need for funding is urgent," said Mary Nally founder of Sona Sásta Meals on Wheels. " We want to keep our doors open, we want to keep going but we need funding, it is essential, " she added.

"The initiative is volunteer led, we have around 20 volunteers at the moment and one part time paid staff member. In order for us to keep the doors of Meals on Wheels going we need funding.

We get a little funding from the HSE under Section 39 but we have to fundraise all of the time to keep going. We can't pass it down to the service user.

"We also have a 16 seater bus collects recipients and brings them to the centre to meet with friends. The bus will also take them to get their shopping or visit the pharmacy so it really is a fantastic service for the community."

In return for a weekly contribution of €6, those availing of Meals on Wheels get a two course hot nutritious meal. Mary explained that it's not just hot dinners that the service provides but also a social outlet for the recipients.

"A volunteer may be the only person that that person would see all day, it's a lot more than just giving a nutritious meal."

Mary set up The local Meals on Wheels service after she retired from Third Age Ireland in Summerhill, a national voluntary organisation that she founded and built from the ground up.

"We are 27 years in existence and it has gone from strength to strength really.

"My background is nursing and I worked in a hospital for older people and I could just see the need to provide a premises where older people could come and meet and participate in activities in our community. Later other services developed like Senior Line and Failte Insteach. After 30 years I decided I'd retire. I was always involved with Meals and Wheels and I became even moreso. If you talk to any older person, it's their wish to remain in their own home as long as possible and by providing a nutritious hot meal that is enabling especially a frailer older person to do so.

"During covid we provided meals seven days a week and then when covid ended we encouraged people to come out of their homes.

"We have a great bunch of volunteers who deliver the meals whom without we wouldn't be able to continue to do what we are doing on a daily basis."

Mary urges anyone who would like to avail of the service to not hesitate to get in touch. She added:

"We'd encourage people who feel they'd like a meal not to be afraid to ask, our doors are open, we deliver to Rathmolyon, Agher, Kiltale, Moynalvey, Kilcock and Enfield.

Pat Dunne has been involved with Sona Sásta Meals on Wheels since its inception. A former supervisor for Community Employment from 1994 until 2020, Pat originally from Kilcloon, has been a resident of Summerhill for 42 years.

"Years ago in my time I used to have six people on community employment which was wonderful as local people were getting employment and jobs out of it. "The employment rate is low now which is great in one way but we are struggling to get people to volunteer."

"We would have been looking at closure if we didn't get funding from the HSE."

Pat encourages anyone with the time to spare to consider becoming a volunteer.

"We are always looking for volunteers but particularly drivers who could give four or five hours a week," he said. "People love coming in, socialising, having a meal and having a game of bingo. It's the idea of participating, having a bit of banter, making people relax and getting them to open up. The feedback from families is that that aspect is invaluable.”

The fundraiser was started by Emer Irwin and members of the Ukrainian community in the area as a thank you for allowing them to operate English classes out of the Sona Sásta premises.

Search "Support Your Local Meals on Wheels" on www.GoFundMe.com to donate.