Appeal as demand for free meal delivery soars

The appeal was issued after local catering company Moji saw demand for its free meals on wheels service jump tenfold in a matter of days to over 200.

The Studio 2 based operation is one of several inspiring examples of businesses and community-based organisations and local people coming together to help the elderly and vulnerable who are self-isolating and housebound due to COVID19.

Ollie Green, director of Studio 2, said the service to date has been made possible through the generosity of Moji and local people who have donated money and volunteered their time to cook and deliver the meals, which observing social distancing and strict procedures. Thanking everyone who has pledged to Moji’s ‘Feeding the Elderly During Coronavirus’ Go Fund Me page to date, Mr Green said the service is entirely dependent on donations at present, and while efforts are being made to try and attract funding from various bodies, it will continue to be reliant on the generosity of local people for the foreseeable future.

“What began last week as making meals for 20-30 people has been expanding throughout the week,” Mr Green said. “The volunteers are going out to the elderly and vulnerable who are isolating, and we have been inundated with calls from relatives, medical centres, residential care and even the hospital about isolated elderly people in their homes. The phone just hasn’t stopped in terms of people needing support.

“With all our arts classes stopped at the minute we have turned the centre into a production line and we want to keep going as long as we can. As a community organisation, we are here to service the community’s needs and at this moment in time, this is the most important thing we can be doing - reaching out to the people most in need, the most vulnerable.”

Moji and the team of volunteers are mass producing nutritionally balanced, cooked meals at Studio 2, and volunteers are going out and delivering them, making sure there is no contact and following all required protocols. For many, the service is proving to be a lifeline.

Anybody able to make a donation can do so through Moji’s ‘Feeding the Elderly During Coronavirus’ Go Fund Me online page, and any businesses, suppliers or volunteers who can help can contact the team through the Moji and Studio 2 Facebook pages.

*Foyle Foodbank in Derry meanwhile is appealing for donations as stocks are currently running low. To read about how you can help see below.

www.derryjournal.com/news/foyle-foodbank-appeals-donations-stock-depleting-2517549