POLOKWANE – Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organisation and was started by Dr Denis Braid in 1964.
The Polokwane Meals on Wheels is run by Cheryl Gibson who, with the help of two women, prepare food for those in need.
“Meals On Wheels for the Aged started to operate on 23 June, 1973. The elderly were served a cooked meal with pudding and custard, which were prepared by volunteers from the Pietersburg Seventh Day Adventist Church,” explains Gibson.
She explains that as South Africa changed, Meals on Wheels also changed, and the name was changed to Pietersburg Meals on Wheels Community Services (PBGMOWCS)
“We now have 44 years of service to the community, and deliver approximately 7 300 cooked meals to the poor, needy and aged in a month. Meals consist of pap, rice, samp or soya, and two seasonal vegetables,” she says.
She says when they started, they used to make 40 meals in a month.
Gibson says to have meals delivered on request, the beneficiary should supply their ID number, address, gender and race, as per South African law.
“PBGMOWCS is for the public by the public. We therefore rely on donations to deliver this vital service to the poor, needy and aged. We also deliver second hand clothes and shoes, blankets and groceries when these items are donated.”
