General News
10 December, 2021
Meals on Wheels is delivering sweetness this Christmas
In partnership with the Lions Clubs and the Queensland Cake Decorators Association (QCDA) in Cairns, Meals on Wheels Cairns is delivering 460 Christmas themed cakes to bring some joy and holiday spirit to the elderly.
This tasty tradition began 30 years ago with Meals on Wheels and QCDA in Cairns.
The QCDA donates their time and all the elements to make possible the cakes’ beautiful handmade decorations and packaging. Eventually, the Lions Club offered to donate their famous Lions Cakes to the cause. The campaign reached a new peak with an all-time number of 460 cakes in total. These are distributed between Meals on Wheels Cairns, Meals on Wheels Marlin Coast, and Gordonvale Palliative Care. This year also counted with school students from Trinity Bay High School and Saint Andrews Catholic College who volunteered to decorate and pack the cakes.
President and Service Coordinator of Meals on Wheels Cairns Joan Cadman said having the QCDA manage the decoration and packaging means a lot to the organisation. The impact on their clients is unmeasurable.
“The support from the cake decorators is wonderful, truly our clients look forward to it, it means a lot to them, and we really appreciate what they do for us; it makes our Christmas very special,” she said.
Secretary of the not-for-profit QCDA in Cairns, Joanne Cowell, said the intention behind the Christmas cake deliveries is to bring a little joy to the elderly.
“It’s Christmas time, and we like to send them out (the cakes) to the elderly, quite a few are in their home and don’t get many other visitors like family or friends, they look forward to receiving the cakes and have some company and a nice chat,” Ms Cowell said.
“We get a lot of feedback on how happy the recipients are and how they’re looking forward to the cakes even by the end of October.”
This year the campaign counted with around 12 students from Trinity Bay and Saint Andrews who on the morning of December 5, learned how to decorate the cakes and worked next to the volunteers from 8 am to 12 pm to prepare the icing, create the handmade decorations, add colour, and pack the 460 cakes.
“It’s good to get children involved earlier (in volunteering), so they can see what other people in the community go through; they may not think about old people,” she said.
“I work in aged care, so it is good to get young people to learn how other people in the community live, what their needs might be, and also to become more compassionate towards them.”
Ms Cadman says her Christmas wish is to get more volunteers on board.
“More volunteers are always welcome; we could always use more because we do deliver five days a week, we have 20 volunteers on the road daily, we have ten working in our kitchen, and they’re a big support because we’re not-for-profit,” she said.
If you want to volunteer with Meals on Wheels Cairns and bring joy to those who need it most, contact Joan Cadman at 0422 320 378 or visit their offices from 8 am to 4 pm.
