National Community Meals Week

Online, October 7, 2011 (Newswire.com) - In celebration of this year's National Community Meals Week, Councillor Vanessa Newcombe, ward councillor for Alphington and Cowick, joined apetito, the leading national supplier of Meals on Wheels to local authorities throughout the UK, as it made its daily round of deliveries to Exeter residents.

Organised by The National Association of Care Catering (NACC), National Community Meals Week aims to raise awareness of this vital service, which enables many elderly, disabled or vulnerable people to remain in their own homes long after they would otherwise have been hospitalised or taken into residential care.

Fred Heard has received community meals for six years:

"I love the meals I receive from apetito. It's comforting to have a hot meal and knowing I'll get a visit from a friend too."

A keen supporter of Community Meals, Councillor Newcombe added:

"It is estimated that up to 3.5 million people in the UK only have contact with another person once a week. The drivers from apetito, who provide Meals on Wheels, make daily contact with vulnerable people, not only bringing them hot meals, but also a friendly face, who not only delivers food, but make sure they are all right.

"It was lovely to meet the local resident, the driver and his manager. I was impressed by the way they made sure that their customers were safe, beyond just delivering the meals. Devon County Council's policy is to enable elderly people to stay at home for as long as they can, and this is a vital service in enabling people to do just that. I am concerned that the tightening of the eligibility criteria might mean that some people are not going to get this service."

apetito is contracted by Devon County Council to supply community meals from its Exeter depot to residents across the city. Its nutritionally balanced meals are heated in its unique Chefmobil vans from frozen so that each meal is served piping hot when they reach their recipient, just as if they had been taken out of the oven.

apetito depot manager Wayne Blunt commented: "Meals on Wheels is a lifeline for so many elderly people in the UK. This is a service that people rely on and for many it is their only hot meal of the day.

"Community Meals also offers the elderly and vulnerable - some of whom have no family - the opportunity to forge friendships with the drivers who deliver their lunch. Our drivers are also trained to identify and report any signs of concern they pick up on their visit."

apetito is holding a number of additional local events during National Community Meals Week, which runs from 3-7 October 2011.

These include a special delivery to Age Concern on 6th October at 1:30pm at the Church Hall on Harpeth Road in Seaton.