Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels Service
The Meals on Wheels service was implemented in the village over 20 years ago by the late Canon Reuben Butler and the Going Strong Active Retirement Group and had been operating from Cafe Fergus since 2010. The project commenced with supplying 10 meals to local people in the Newmarket on Fergus area and currently supplies to 200 service users per day seven days per week in the Co. Clare area. The service is available to older and retired people in the community. The meals are cooked fresh daily at our purpose built production facility at our Tradaree Building on Main Street.
In 2015 we started the process of expanding the Meals on Wheels service to cover other areas in the county, this was due to a very high demand for our service. We purchased a new premises locally and construction began in the Summer of 2019, it was hoped that by Spring 2020 we would have moved to this purpose built Meals on Wheels production facility. With the onset of Covid-19 this project was delayed and we eventually moved the service to this premises in Autumn 2020. For more information see details under The Tradaree Project in the Services section of our Menu.
The meals received are healthy, varied, nutritious and are cooked to strict HACCP standards. Each person receives a daily hot meal and also a choice of either soup or a dessert. We now service the following areas of Ennis, Shannon, Clarecastle, Newmarket on Fergus, Quin, Doora, Kilkishen, Sixmilebridge, Kilmurry, Cratloe and Bunratty.
We have a team of volunteers that support the service and offer a friendly face to those availing of the Meals on Wheels. Community Catering is vital to our area and we have seen the benefits it provides down through the years, delivering not only a hot meal but also a chat or a check in. It provides peace of mind for anyone with older relatives who might be living a distance away from their families or working full time. This has been an invaluable service to the people of Newmarket on Fergus and we are delighted to have the facilities to extend the service out to other areas.
Availing of the Service
The meals are available to older and retired people who might not be in a position to cook for themselves. If you or a loved one would like to avail of this service you can contact us at Obair by phone (061) 368052. We will give you an application form to fill in some basic details and an emergency contact number. This form is then returned to us and application will be approved. At present we operate a waiting list system which means there could be a few weeks wait time before commencing the service.
Quality Food
The meals that you receive are cooked fresh at The Tradaree Hub. The meals are healthy, varied, nutritious and are cooked to strict HACCP standards. While we don’t have a set menu our meals are your typical wholesome Irish dinners. We know a lot of people do not eat meat on a Friday and we serve a beautiful fresh fish dish every Friday. If you have any special dietary requirements please let us know and we can cater where possible. We will also provide a list of all possible meals that you will receive as well as the allergen content for each dish.
Cost of the Service
The cost of each meal is €6. Each meal consists of your daily hot dinner as well as either a soup or a desert. The service is offered ata minimum of 4 days a week and maximum 7 days.
Get Involved:
Obairs Meals on Wheels Service relies on the support of a fantastic team of volunteers. If you would like to get involved as a Volunteer you can call us on (061) 368052 or alternatively fill out the application here Volunteer Application Form and email to eimear.murphy@obair.org. Postal Address Obair, Ennis Rd., Newmarket on Fergus, Co. Clare.