Food Train are delighted to be introducing our new community meal share programme, Meal Makers, to the older people of Dumfries and Galloway. Meal Makers connect people who love cooking and who are happy to share an extra portion of home cooked food with an older neighbour who would really appreciate a freshly prepared meal and a friendly chat.
Signing up to volunteer with Meal Makers is really easy, go to www.mealmakers.org.uk and select ‘Become a Cook’ to complete our quick online application form. All Cooks will complete an online food safety quiz and a PVG application before being matched with a Diner.
We already have a few matches in D&G with people enjoying the benefits of the service. One match is Andy Campbell who has been cooking for his Diner Kathleen for a while now. Andy said “Both my children had left home for University and I was still cooking for 4 rather than 2, our freezer was getting rather full! My wife, Frances who is the current chair of the Food Train, thought that Meal Makers would be a great idea for me to take part in – and it would help reduce the amount of food I was freezing. The meal varies – it depends what we are having, Kathleen is keen to try new tastes and flavours and particularly enjoys spicy food. Kathleen has also said that food not only has to be nourishing but also “food for the eye” – so food with good colours as well as taste are also interesting to her. She does enjoy old favourites like traditional mince and potatoes or a roast. She has said that cooking for one restricts the choice of meals and as she has got older the interest in spending hours cooking has faded”. Kathleen added “Andy brings in a bit of the outside world in to the house – it’s nice to hear what is going on in school – many things have changed and many not. Andy is always balanced and even tempered! I know he is someone that is local that I can call for help should I need it!”
Food Train Regional Manager, Helen McAnespie said “Our Meal Makers service is proving to be very popular in other regions of Scotland and I am delighted to get it started here in Dumfries and Galloway. Our first task if to get as many Cooks as possible signed up across the region so that they are ready to start before the Meals on Wheels service ends in September. Food Train services are here to help support older people to stay in their homes and to stay as independent as possible and this new service compliments our other support services very well. There are many ways to get in touch with us, we have a Facebook page, Twitter, website and we have five offices across D&G where people can contact a member of the local team to find out more about all of our services”.
Food Train aim to offer this service to older people (qualifying age is 55 to become a Diner) across D&G as soon as possible to help combat the impact on some older people when the RVS Meals on Wheels service comes to an end in September (it has already ceased in some areas). If you know someone who would benefit from receiving a home cooked meal on a regular basis or if you are interested in becoming a Cook, please contact the Meal Makers team on 0800 783 7770 or e-mail [email protected].
