Tamworth's Meals on Wheels puts the call out for volunteers to keep community fed

Meals on Wheels manager Peter Gallagher is calling out for more volunteers after the delivery service recorded a 25 per cent increase in demand over the past 18 months.

Mr Gallagher said each week they have vacant spots that need to be filled.

"We're about 20 drivers short every week," he said.

Each month the service does around 280 runs with the help of 130 volunteers.

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"We definitely do need a few more," Mr Gallagher said.

While they'll always find a way to get the meals out, he said more hands on deck would benefit the essential service.

"The majority of our clients rely on us 100 per cent for their meals," Mr Gallagher said.

"We have a large number of clients that if we didn't deliver, they wouldn't eat."

But keeping people fed is just one of the many benefits of the service, Mr Gallagher said.

"Meals on Wheels is more than just a meal, that's one of our mottos," he said.

"It's the welfare check that we do with those clients every single day, to make sure they're OK that really makes us different to any other meal service."

It was being able to offer a smile and chat that motivated John Robinson to get involved.

"There's quite a number of elderly people that appreciate the chat," he said.

"They've got someone to talk to and a bit of company for three or four minutes that enables them to keep in contact with the world.

"It's our contribution back to the community we live in."

Deliveries are made each week day between 8am and 10am and Mr Gallagher said helping out can be as little as doing one run a month to delivering meals every day.

"It all helps," he said.

To volunteer your time contact Meals on Wheels on 6765 8999.

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