10 minutes with… Meals on Wheels SA CEO Sharyn Broer

What’s the Big Brunch Drive?

The Big Brunch Drive is Meals on Wheels SA’s new annual fundraising campaign. We’re inviting South Australians to come together over a brunch event with their friends, family, colleagues or community group.

Donations made in support of The Big Brunch Drive will enable us to keep growing the Meals on Wheels community program – helping us to continue providing care, connection and community to those who need it most. While delivering nutritious meals is at our core, we are proud to offer a program of community connection initiatives designed to offer meaningful social interaction and reduce social isolation. While it creates positive impact, this work is largely unfunded.

Food is central to what Meals on Wheels does. How does brunch typify the group’s mission?

As a casual and social meal, brunch is all about connection and conversation which are both integral to Meals on Wheels SA’s mission. Typical brunch foods are also known for being fresh, nutritious and wholesome – just like the delicious food we deliver to more than 6500 customers around the state each week.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to grip households, what is Meals on Wheels seeing on the ground?

Firstly, we’ve noticed people delay getting support because of the cost, putting their wellbeing at risk.

Something we’re also seeing is more customers portioning the food they’re receiving and trying to make meals go further. It’s concerning because our meals are carefully prepared to meet nutritional needs and it’s particularly important for the elderly to ensure they get enough nutrition to keep their energy levels up.

Our volunteers are often the only people that are regularly interacting with some of our customers. Just from talking to them we do get a very strong sense that the vulnerable are even more at risk in times like these. Particularly as we’re going into winter we’re noticing people are not turning their heating on to try and save on electricity bills.

In recent years, volunteer numbers have been declining across charities. What’s the reason for that?

Traditionally our volunteers were primarily those who did not work full time and had time to spare during the week. With the shift that has seen people working more days and longer hours while juggling work and home duties, it’s become increasingly challenging to find volunteers who have time available as they would’ve in the past.

People are also remaining in their paid careers longer and retiring later in life, so we haven’t seen as many retirees available for volunteering during the week.

This is a key reason Meals on Wheels is offering more flexible volunteering options. There’s a misconception that a volunteer must regularly commit a whole day every week, which is not the case. There are roles for those who can offer a couple of hours or one day a month. We even have roles at an administrative level which means they can lend a hand from home and outside of business hours.

Has Meals on Wheels experienced the same impact as other charities?

Meals on Wheels is a well-known brand and we’re fortunate to enjoy strong support from our loyal community, but we are not immune to the challenges faced in recruiting volunteers.

As capable and tireless as they are, the workload of our amazing volunteers is escalating and they need help, particularly from those new to volunteering.

Many of our wonderful long-term volunteers are also nearing retirement and getting ready to scale back the duties after years of dedicated service.

We recognise the importance of our volunteers’ time and really make an effort to show our appreciation, but it’s something we have to keep focusing on to make sure our volunteers do feel appreciated.

Volunteering for just a few hours a week or fortnight makes such a difference to people in need and helps Meals on Wheels continue our critical community service. It also makes a positive difference to how the volunteers feel, working as a team to make a difference in the community.

Corporate volunteers are also welcome with businesses able to take on a delivery round in their local community and create an opportunity for staff to get involved on a semi-regular basis.

Meals on Wheels offers more services than just meal delivery. Why are cooking classes, social activities and the organisation’s school intergenerational program important?

While Meals on Wheels is known first and foremost for our food delivery service and wellbeing checks, our work goes far beyond that – we also have a role to play in building social connections within communities.

We have an expanding program of activities and initiatives and strong demand for further services. These are designed to offer meaningful social interaction, support older people feeling isolated connect more with their community and help link people to other essential support services.

This is all integral to living well at home for as long as possible. Communities thrive when people feel a sense of belonging and connection.

When your staff or volunteers are feeling down, what is your go-to strategy for improving morale?

We often hear of the impact our service makes to the community members we serve, but meaningful volunteering also has a direct benefit to our wellbeing and sense of belonging.

We find our volunteers are selfless and dedicate their time to make a positive impact, so it’s very important to keep sharing the stories of those who benefit from our support. We share these stories across our whole network so volunteers can be reminded that what they’re doing is having an impact and that’s one of the best ways to keep our people engaged.

At a local level, our branches are very attuned to their network. One important tradition, for example, is sitting down after working in the kitchen to have a scone and cup of tea. These rituals can’t be underestimated, they are really important for keeping connected.

In addition, Meals on Wheels also hosts organised events during the year such as marking volunteer milestones, film nights and seasonal celebrations.

Beyond the fundraiser, what other initiatives does Meals on Wheels have coming up?

We never stop! We’ve just celebrated Volunteers’ Week, while our annual awardee day later this year will celebrate the amazing milestones of our long-serving volunteers and bring the organisation together to honour our newest life members.

We’re preparing for National Meals on Wheels Day in August to mark the impact of our organisation and celebrate the history of Meals on Wheels.

One of our newest community programs is Voices of Veterans – connecting a local writer’s club with ex-servicepeople at the William Kibby VC Veterans Shed. They’re connecting for interviews over five weekly sessions and will later this year have their stories published in a beautifully crafted book. It’s all about creating opportunities to share their stories, reflect on their experiences and pass this on to a new generation.