Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
This is great news for a wonderful Meals on Wheels group part of Ballinasloe Social Services who prepare & deliver meals on wheels all around the Ballinasloe area. The CLAR funding announced today by my colleague Minister Heather Humphreys in the Department of Rural & Community Development is targeting funding to groups and areas in need as part of Our Rural Future government initiative.
I worked closely with the Social Services and I’m delighted for Director of Services Teresa Coughlan on this successful funding of €50,000 together with Meals on Wheels organiser Kay Cunningham and her team who prepare and deliver meals. The Meals on Wheels service have been providing meals to older people or people with a disability for over 40 years in Ballinasloe and is based in the Social Centre on Society St on the side of the Emerald Ballroom
To acknowledge and thank Fr John Garvey, Mary Phelan and the Kilclooney & Creagh parish who manage the Emerald Ballroom and Social Centre and who strongly supported this application. This funding will renovate the windows and upgrade kitchen equipment.
This is a wonderful service for people who may not have the time or sometimes the ability to prepare meals at home. For people caring for loved ones at home it can be another way to offer some assistance to have the meals cooked and prepared and they can be popped in the fridge too to cover the next few days. There is so much pressure on carers especially with perhaps a job and a family as well as looking after someone. Meals can also be ordered and collected from Social Services Centre on Society Street. I’d also like to thank the volunteers and people working for the service as well as all the car drivers bringing nutritious meals to people in town as well as all over from Taughmaconnell and Moore to Ahascragh, Cappataggle to Clontuskert and more.
If you know someone in your community or relations maybe living alone and it can be difficult to cook for just one – maybe meals on wheel would be a great present for a week and perhaps to start a good routine for a few cooked meals a couple of times a week. Main meal and soup for €7 is fairly reasonable and Meals on Wheels open Monday to Friday.
The whole goal here is to support independent living for people in Ballinasloe and surrounding towns and villages. We are very fortunate to have this service for older family members and if you have a New Year’s resolution to get involved more in community…what better way than to up your cooking skills and help prepare a cooked meals or give a few hours driving as a volunteer. Do call into Kay any morning in the Social Services Centre on Society St.
The CLÁR funding is being provided as part of Our Rural Future, the Government’s strategic five-year rural development plan which supports a thriving and inclusive rural Ireland.
I want to thank Minister Humphreys for this new initiative through the CLÁR programme which will bring investment and have a major impact for communities.
