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Changes are afoot for delivery of Meals on Wheels in the Ashburton District as New Zealand Red Cross take over the contract from January 2027.
However, many community groups and individuals carrying out the volunteer work want information about the change over.
A public meeting has been organised.
Pam Hamilton, Meals on Wheels organiser for St Stephen’s Anglican Church, has organised a public meeting on October 13 at St Stephen’s parish hall, Ashburton, at 1pm. A Red Cross representative will be there to provide answers and help people sign up as volunteers under the new system.
It will make the transition a little easier, she said.
“There needs to be a positive outcome from this massive changeover as at the end of the day the people that matter most are the recipients of the meals,” Hamilton said.
Many people who have delivered the meals — some cases for many years — are unsure about signing up as a Red Cross volunteer and having to undergo a Ministry of Justice check, and provide referees.
It’s in addition to Red Cross offering drop-in information sessions that not all volunteer groups were aware were happening.
Hampton said the first one she was aware of was last week.
“There were many there signing up ... but there are still many questions that need to be asked,” she said.
“The responsibility has been put on the likes of myself to notify our volunteers, but it needs to be done on mass like at a meeting.”
Meals on Wheels get delivered to 400 — 450 people, on average, each week in Ashburton.
The meals are delivered five days a week, with seven delivery runs each day.
Red Cross will need at least 35 volunteers a week to provide the service.
A Red Cross spokesperson said volunteers can choose how often they deliver meals based on what works best for them.
Many of volunteers deliver meals once a week every fortnight, but shifts are flexible and can fit around volunteer availability.
Currently, meals co-ordinated by Ashburton Hospital are delivered by a variety of groups like Step Ahead, services club, churches, businesses and individuals.
The meals will continue to come from the hospital.
Te Whatu Ora made a request to them to extend their delivery service into Ashburton, the spokesperson said.
“We’re pleased to see there is already a strong community volunteer base supporting Meals on Wheels in Ashburton, and we hope many of those volunteers will continue to support Meals on Wheels with us.
"We are currently engaging closely with them about the transition.”
Anyone who wishes to deliver Meals on Wheels under Red Cross will need to go through their standard on board process and become a member of the organisation.
This includes a Ministry of Justice check, a valid driver's licence, a vehicle with valid registration and warrant of fitness, and completion of a training course.
"Once we’ve worked through the transition process with the current volunteer base in the area, we will address any gaps by inviting the wider public to sign up.”
A spokesperson forTe Whatu Ora said there would be no disruption to services during the transition.
"We have long-standing connections with the Ashburton community and look forward to building on these by working alongside the strong local volunteer base already supporting Meals on Wheels.
The Red Cross spokesperson said, "Volunteers are at the heart of the service, generously giving their time to deliver not only hot meals to those who need them, but also a friendly face and sense of connection to people in their communities.”