Volunteer home cooks needed to donate Christmas meals for local older people

Following the success of last year’s initiative to provide wholesome Christmas meals to older people, the search is on again for a volunteer army of home cooks. Volunteers will be simply asked to each dish up an extra portion or two of their Christmas lunch and deliver it to a local person or couple in need.

Right at Home GF, the organisers of the project, would also like to hear from older people living alone and older couples who are unable to cook for themselves and would benefit from receiving a hot meal on Christmas Day.

Alastair Shanks, Managing Director of Right at Home GF says: “Last year, the tradition of bringing people, who might otherwise spend the day alone, together to enjoy a Christmas lunch could not happen because of the lockdown. Restrictions may be different this year but the pandemic is not over and there is still a need for lovingly prepared home cooked meals to be delivered to local older people.”

Last year, John got in touch with Right at Home and received a Christmas meal. He said: “I was told about Right at Home and you kindly arranged Christmas lunch for me at home. Not only was the lunch good, I had three lovely Christmas cards written by children from South Farnham School.”

Right at Home GF is a local home care company which took on the co-ordination of the Christmas meal initiative last year. “In 2020 we had the great pleasure of supporting dozens of volunteer home cooks and putting them in touch with older people who would otherwise have missed out on a festive meal on Christmas Day. With more time to plan this year, we’re putting the call out earlier. If you think you may be able to help, please get in touch. And if you are an older person or couple who would benefit from having a hot meal delivered to you - or you know someone who is - contact us too.”

Volunteers will simply be asked to dish up an extra portion of their Christmas meal and dessert and then deliver it to someone in need close to them. Volunteers will be matched to someone as nearby as possible and be provided with a small kit to help them pack and transport the meal safely. Recipients will receive straightforward advice about reheating the meal if they prefer to eat it later in the day.

To volunteer, request a meal or find out more, contact Kate at Right at Home GF on 07891 986316, email christmas@rightathomegf.co.uk. Alternatively, you can complete an online form to be a volunteer cook or to book a lunch.

Right at Home GF provides care to people in their own homes, from companionship and help with everyday tasks such as preparing food and taking medication to round the clock, live-in care, including for people with dementia.

In 2020, Right at Home GF stepped up to support Farnham and surrounding communities by launching Right at Home Friends which included recruiting and co-ordinating volunteers to help vulnerable people during the pandemic restrictions.