A Better Meal Deal

TAKE ACTION: Even before Covid-19, more than 1.3 million people over the age of 65 were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. The pandemic has made it even more difficult for many people to eat well every day, not least older and disabled people.  Having resilient meals on wheels services locally is a vital cornerstone to tackling the issue, which is why we need to urge councils to invest in older people’s health and wellbeing. Write to your councillor today.  

 

Meals on wheels are a vital part of adult social care – not just in terms of the provision of food for those who can’t cook for themselves, but for the sociability and connectedness they bring to many isolated disabled and older adults across London. While the precise number who require or would benefit is unknown, Sustain estimates that roughly 200,000 people in Greater London fall into this category.

MEALS WITHOUT WHEELS

Despite this obvious need, council run meals on wheels services have reduced drastically in recent years, leaving many at risk of hunger and malnutrition. Then, coronavirus hit. Older adults and many with health conditions were advised to ‘shield’, while others were advised or felt it necessary to keep contact with others to a minimum. “It was terrifying. It made us realise how stripped back our support systems and safety nets are,” says Morven Oliver-Larkin, London Food Poverty Campaigner at Sustain.

HEALTHY MEAL APPEAL

Inspiringly, Mutual Aid groups sprung up across the country and many organisations pivoted their offering to help address the critical need to get healthy meals to those who needed it. “It was a real lifeline for people,” adds Nynke Brett of Made in Hackney, which at its peak was providing 500 meals a day to residents across the borough. “The way that people came together to address that need was humbling and very touching. Communities showed real resilience.” Social enterprise and Urban Food Award winner London Independent Living service (LILS) was already providing hot food delivery, and so could quickly shift a gear. “We saw a dramatic increase in meal numbers, with a 70% increase during the first month of lockdown,” explains Bronagh Stewart at LILS.

‘The way that people came together to address that need was humbling and very touching. Communities showed real resilience.’

POST PANDEMIC WELFARE

But as lockdown eased, the kitchens and spaces used during lockdown resumed their usual purpose, and volunteer numbers dropped as people returned to their day jobs. Yet the reality is, even without Covid, wider scale and further reaching services are desperately needed. “It’s essential that meals on wheels services are integrated with social services and there are welfare checks. That can be tricky for new groups if they don’t have the skills or connections,” Morven continues. “We need legislation that ensures money is ring fenced—not loads, just enough so that all older or vulnerable adults can access at least one hot meal per day.”
“A new, pan-London (and national) settlement for meals on wheels is much needed,” adds Bronagh, “as is long-term investment in sustainable solutions to food insecurity, in which meals on wheels plays a valuable role.”

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To help play a part in getting hot food to those who need it, sign up to volunteer via Made in Hackney website.

@Made_In_Hackney
@foodpoverty_uk

#mealsonwheels