Each year, Meals on Wheels NSW gives Innovation Awards to local Meals on Wheels services for localised programs that benefit seniors living in the community, people with disabilities, volunteers and/or initiatives benefiting clients.

Here are some initiatives that were shortlisted in 2020.

Brunswick Valley Meals on Wheels for their ‘Keeping them Talking’ Social Connections initiative and their ‘Tucker Bags’ for creative use of emergency funding.  Both very successful initiatives with great outcomes and fabulous community support. 

Meals on Wheels Central Coast for their ‘Click and Collect’ on-line shopping service. So successful, this initiative will likely continue into the future, and is still currently evolving.  Many of their clients prefer the delivered grocery option rather than having to shop themselves. 

‘In Touch - We are all in this together’ by Young Meals on Wheels is a professionally published monthly newsletter containing information and updates, articles for reading, puzzles, and activities, which has helped keep everyone connected, informed and entertained during lockdown. 

Meals on Wheels Dubbo for their multi-faceted approach in 'keeping the vulnerable safe, fed and connected'.  Amongst other things, they were successful in keeping their contracted kitchen open, and enlisted the help of local university students for meal deliveries. 

COA Sydney for their ‘COA Fresh’ initiative, where fresh produce was donated, packed and delivered weekly to their clientele, rapidly increasing from 200 to 500 deliveries a week, by newly recruited volunteers. 

Coonamble Meals on Wheels for their ‘Evening Meal on Wheels Delivered’.  A successful partnership with their local bowling club, which provided a restaurant meal to their clients and raised the profile of Meals on Wheels in their community to such am extent that their client numbers increased by 200%, as well as supporting their local club. 

Holbrook Meals on Wheels hugely successful ‘Social Connections Project’.  The supply of personal monitoring equipment and iPads, along with education and support to use both, by a dedicated team and staff member, has ensured the safety and wellbeing of their clients during Covid-19 restrictions.