By Jessica Micallef
Macedon Ranges council’s Meals on Wheels program will continue until the beginning of next year, following increased demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The program was originally set to be scrapped by July 1, however the federal government has supplied additional funding for the Commonwealth Home Support Program to ensure meals can be delivered until January 1, 2021.
At their August council meeting last year, councillors decided to stop providing services funded by the Commonwealth Home Support Program, including the Meals on Wheels program, due to a low level of demand across the region.
At the time, the council was delivering meals to 19 Macedon Ranges clients.
However, the council’s client base for delivering meals increased to 24 during the first few weeks of the pandemic.
The council expects that demand for delivered meals will increase as the pandemic continues.
The additional funding offered by the federal government may be used to replace workers with volunteers as needed or be directed towards partnerships with local commercial kitchens.
There will be no cost to the council to deliver meals for an extra six months.
Macedon Ranges mayor Janet Pearce said it was a welcome relief to be able to continue assisting the community during these difficult times.
“Supporting some of our most vulnerable community members is important to us,” she said.
“We are very pleased to be able to continue providing meals and to help provide some continuity during these changing times.
“The council works closely with Commonwealth Home Support Program clients and we are also available to assist anyone who might need support so we encourage people to keep in touch.”
For more information, call 5422 0333.
