Community & Business
14 February, 2025
50 years of meal delivery
IT has been half a century since a small group of Mareeba residents formed a modest service to help elderly people in the community get regular, healthy meals.
And while food prices have sky-rocketed and regulations and red tape have flourished, Meals on Wheels (MOW) is still quietly rolling on.
“Our drivers delivered 12,400 meals to the community last year,” MOW president Patricia Goldfinch said with satisfaction last week.
To celebrate, the organisation will be holding a get together with past members and volunteers, clients, Mareeba Shire councillors and Lions Club members at the Mareeba Leagues Club on 24 February.
As president for the past seven years, and a volunteer in earlier days, Mrs Goldfinch said she had seen a few changes since the organisation was first an idea back in 1974.
A group of residents had met with the Reverend Don Barker at the St George Anglican Church to discuss the needs of the community. A committee was formed and the “one meal a day” plan was formed.
The committee leased a kitchen room at the church for six months and was registered as a charity in 1976.
In the meantime, with the help of the Mareeba Lions club and the community, Meals on Wheels Inc got a permanent home in Fueling St, from which it still operates today.
“The land was donated by the Mareeba Shire Council, and a lot of the materials and labour was at a cut price, and many people in the community offered their services for free,” Mrs Goldfinch said.
“There was heavy involvement from the community.”
She said meals in the early days cost 60 cents, and now range from $9 for a meal, after subsidies, $7 for a sandwich and $3.50 for a soup or a dessert. Recipients also have more choices, with a menu introduced a few years back, to cater for more specific dietary needs.
Another bigger change was the expansion of the MOW office space, to accommodate staff needed to address expanding compliance regulations and funding documentation over the decades.
Mrs Goldfinch acknowledged the increased regulations had had an impact on the simple service.
“Yes, in the sense that there are more work health and safety compliance regulations; people in the kitchen have to be qualified; our treasurer has to be across so much detail for funding and compliance,” she said.
“What this has done is make people more reluctant to come on to the management committee, particularly the younger ones.
“I’m finding a couple of members want to retire, but we have to find replacements.”
Volunteer wise, however, there were no issues. The community spirit behind the service continued to flourish.
“We have a very strong volunteer base – we have 45 volunteers,” Mrs Goldfinch said.
And the welcome by those who received meals had never altered.
For Mrs Goldfinch, these are the “fondest memories” of her time with MOW.
“To actually go out with the drivers and meet some of the people we provide meals for, they are so happy to see you, so friendly,” she said.
“They really welcome those three days a week of contact, knowing that the community knows they are there.
“I’m extremely lucky to be part of that.”
MOW provides a main meal, a soup and dessert, to people within a 30km radius. If there are residents further afield, service providers will pick up meals for their clients.
Meals are offered to adults aged 65 and over, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with chronic illness (including terminal illness) and people with disabilities.
Volunteer work includes drivers, meal prep, washing and cleaning up, and dessert servings. For more information on Meals on Wheels Mareeba, visit: www.qmow.org/service-location/mareeba-meals-on-wheels-inc-234
The Mareeba Meals on Wheels 50th anniversary will be held on 24 February at 11am at Mareeba Leagues Club.
