All in a day - Heat and deliver

	All in a day - Heat and deliver What do you do on a Monday at Lunchtime? Honor Hiley spends every Monday from 11.00am until 1.30pm helping to deliver 'Meals on Wheels' to folk in our community.
	Honor Hiley	"I first began this work when I lived in Chesham in the 1960's," says Honor. "In those days we had awful hot boxes and we had to put hot charcoal underneath them to keep the food hot. We had to deliver the food to people and dish it onto their own plates, then take the other plates back and wash them up. There is no age limit for helpers delivering 'Meals on Wheels', so when I moved here to Ashtead I just went along to the local WRVS (Women's Royal Voluntary Service) office and volunteered. Nowadays, I go to Leatherhead on a Monday and go on my round with a driver. The meals are delivered frozen to the Community Centre in Leatherhead and they are heated and placed in insulated boxes. We deliver them piping hot.
	The clients have a choice of meal, which is great if they have special diets or are vegetarian or if they just don't want beef, etc. People receiving the meals pay £11.60 for five days. For this they get a hot meal in a dish with the vegetables separate, and a pudding, which is often hot as well. I think it's very good value for money. Most people on our list receive meals five days a week. To do this means we go out on 6 rounds a day with approximately 20 visits on each round. That means 120 meal deliveries each day. People in special need receive meals seven days a week. I 'do my round in prayer' before I actually go on it and this helps the day go well. It's a real pleasure to visit people in their homes, particularly as I am often the only person they will see that day. I'm sorry I can't linger, but the meals have to be delivered hot to everyone between 11.30am and 1.00pm, so it can be a bit of a rush. I know the people really appreciate us calling. Interested in volunteering? Contact Leatherhead Community Centre WRVS office (377523). You'll get a great welcome.
	Go to next article - Home Deliveries See also the Christmas 1999 magazine article A time to volunteer Back to Christmas 1998 front page Please check out our new website for all the latest information sgsgashtead.com Back to our Home Page

What do you do on a Monday at Lunchtime? Honor Hiley spends every Monday from 11.00am until 1.30pm helping to deliver 'Meals on Wheels' to folk in our community.

Please check out our new website for all the latest information sgsgashtead.com