debodun
SF VIP
- Location
- way upstate in New York, USA
This is the menu for the next two weeks:
Problems with a meal delivery
- Thread starter debodun
- Start date
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
Looks very nice... similar to Home delivered meals here...however I'm told that they only sound nice, the actual meal is very different...
debodun
SF VIP
- Location
- way upstate in New York, USA
The delivered meals are a lot like TV dinners. They are served in a 3-part plastic tray, usually for the protein, starch and vegetable. Then there's what is termed a"cold bag" with the dessert and a half pint of milk.
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
This was the meals on wheels menu for last month here...
debodun
SF VIP
- Location
- way upstate in New York, USA
At least we get weekends off here. 
hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
our Meals on wheels drivers get Paid...only minimum wage but they get paid..At least we get weekends off here.
Teacher Terry
Well-known Member
my aunt volunteered for 10 years but it was in town so not a bunch of driving and gas was cheap. 6 years ago I got them delivered for my friend and her husband who both had cancer and she also had dementia. Back then they were much better tasting than a tv dinner. I have volunteered for organizations but it never cost me money.
Quackers
Member
I've only just spotted this thread Debodun, and can't believe you use your own vehicle - I'm rather gobsmacked TBH.
Thought I'd give you a little insight into how we used to deliver m-o-w and what's happening now in the UK. (Apologies for the UK prices rather than finding the US equivalents)
Way back, I delivered m-o-w both as a paid employee and as a volunteer.
Social Services/City Councils provided m-o-w which the client paid a small price for a main meal plus a pudding. I think it was either 50p or a Ā£1, my memory is a bit vague on that.... but I'm tending towards them being 50p.
They were excellent meals which we picked up at the kitchens at community centres.
We were provided with a meal and pudding - and I remember the puddings were extremely yummy.
The containers for keeping the meals hot were quite large and I remember at one time they changed the coals.
Drivers started having minor 'bumps' or near misses on the roads, including myself - which I couldn't understand as I prided myself on being an excellent driver.
It turned out the new coals were emitting some sort of fumes in the enclosed space in the van, which were affecting the drivers (in those days there were no proper vents in the van's roof).
Needless to say it was sorted very quickly - probably because these 'bumps' attributed to the coal fumes were being reported in the newspapers at the time.
Sadly, like everything else now, cut backs and the cost to Councils providing m-o-w is a burden and so providers have changed. Almost all Meals are provided by private companies, some do work in partnership with local councils.
The drivers (whether employees or volunteers) use the providers' vehicles. No-one uses their own vehicles - at least none that I know of.
Apparently the average cost now of a meal for a m-o-w customer in England has increased from Ā£4.40 to Ā£5.57 over the past five years, compared to a jump from Ā£3.60 to Ā£4.82 across the UK.
Couple of articles that might be of interest re cut backs to m-o-w in the UK:
Warning over āworryingā decline of Meals...
Meals on Wheels service āheading for UK-wide collapseā
Thought I'd give you a little insight into how we used to deliver m-o-w and what's happening now in the UK. (Apologies for the UK prices rather than finding the US equivalents)
Way back, I delivered m-o-w both as a paid employee and as a volunteer.
Social Services/City Councils provided m-o-w which the client paid a small price for a main meal plus a pudding. I think it was either 50p or a Ā£1, my memory is a bit vague on that.... but I'm tending towards them being 50p.
They were excellent meals which we picked up at the kitchens at community centres.
We were provided with a meal and pudding - and I remember the puddings were extremely yummy.
The containers for keeping the meals hot were quite large and I remember at one time they changed the coals.
Drivers started having minor 'bumps' or near misses on the roads, including myself - which I couldn't understand as I prided myself on being an excellent driver.
It turned out the new coals were emitting some sort of fumes in the enclosed space in the van, which were affecting the drivers (in those days there were no proper vents in the van's roof).
Needless to say it was sorted very quickly - probably because these 'bumps' attributed to the coal fumes were being reported in the newspapers at the time.
Sadly, like everything else now, cut backs and the cost to Councils providing m-o-w is a burden and so providers have changed. Almost all Meals are provided by private companies, some do work in partnership with local councils.
The drivers (whether employees or volunteers) use the providers' vehicles. No-one uses their own vehicles - at least none that I know of.
Apparently the average cost now of a meal for a m-o-w customer in England has increased from Ā£4.40 to Ā£5.57 over the past five years, compared to a jump from Ā£3.60 to Ā£4.82 across the UK.
Couple of articles that might be of interest re cut backs to m-o-w in the UK:
Warning over āworryingā decline of Meals...
Meals on Wheels service āheading for UK-wide collapseā