Wagga Meals on Wheels has unveiled its new refrigerated van, which replaces its previous vehicle which was bought in 1998.
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Wagga Meals on Wheels president John Craig said the purchase was made affordable with help of $11,396 from Riverina Water's Community Grants Program, funds from the sale of the previous vehicle and a discount by Wagga Motors and Renault.
Mr Craig said the Kangoo van would be a huge benefit to staff.
"It's automatic and easier to load and unload and because our other van was so much bigger with a tray, this one is so much easier for staff to access the meals, individually or in bulk," he said.
"It's much more user-friendly being half the height of the previous van so there's less reaching, which will be a great help to the organisation's volunteers.
"Each volunteer delivers to about eight different locations each day.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"The Riverina Water grant covered the cost of getting the refrigeration done in Melbourne."
Proud of the organisation's volunteers, Mr Craig said the role his staff played, involved much more than just delivering a meal.
"It's a critical part of checking the well-being of clients," he said.
"For some clients this may be the only visitor they get so it's an important part of the service we provide.
"It's the support we so willingly receive from our volunteers, community organisations and local businesses that allows us to make life more comfortable for many in our community.
"We try to help in any other ways we can."
Like many organisations, Meals on Wheels took a hit as COVID's impact reduced the number of staff who provide a crucial service.
"At its peak we couldn't use our volunteers as most of them were over 70 but just now, most of our volunteers are back and working successfully," Mr Craig said.
Riverina Water chief executive officer Andrew Crakanthorp believes the grant money has been put to good use.
"We see real value in putting money into this project which helps people most in need," he said.
Mr Crakanthorp said there had been 59 grant applications across the Wagga local government area with 31 receiving a total of $200,000.
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