Big Heart Lunch Club would love more volunteers

Since June 2020, the Old Saw Mill Community Café in Back River Street have been cheffing up hearty meals for Congleton Town Council to deliver to people living in Congleton who for a variety of reasons may be struggling to cook a meal for themselves.

The scheme subsidised by Congleton Town Council has seen its numbers increase due to residents self-isolating through the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-COVID members would normally attend the luncheon clubs operating from the United Reform Church and at St John’s Community Centre in Buglawton.

The team are seeking more volunteers to help with the growing demand for its home cooked food. Currently the council along with four volunteers deliver a main meal plus a desert to the homes of 80 local people every Friday.

Peter Aston, of the Old Saw Mill said: “We would like to expand our team of volunteers to 10 people, we have a good system in place whereby each volunteer delivers approximately 10 meals to their area each week. This way residents see the same face delivering their food and if welcomed the opportunity to spend a little time with them for a chat.  It has become much more than just a delivery service. Many of our members look forward to the social interaction.”

Volunteers need to be DBS checked and capable of handling money when taking payment for meals. Full training will be given on a variety of issues. The meals need to be collected from the Old Saw Mill between 8.30am and 9.30am every Friday, insulated bags are provided for the safe storage of the meals whilst being delivered. People interested in joining this team should contact Peter Aston on 07971 805372 in the first instance.

It is not to late for Congleton residents who are eligible to register with the scheme. The meals consist of a meat or vegetarian option plus a dessert. They arrive chilled with a three day 'shelf life’ ready to be heated up in the microwave or oven. The meals are usually offered at the subsidised cost of £4 per person. To find out more call Congleton Town Council on 01260 270350 ext. 1.