A SEASONAL initiative by Right at Home GF has seen nearly 100 community-spirited people volunteering to deliver a lovingly-cooked meal to an older person facing Christmas Day alone.

In a military-style operation, Kate Shanks from Right at Home coordinated offers of help with requests for a meal from people living in Farnham, Godalming, Alton and Bordon.

Such was the commitment to ensuring nobody went hungry on Christmas Day, Kate was also able to arrange for a meal to be delivered to a gentleman in Winchester by reaching out to the local parish council on Facebook – an action which generated numerous offers of help for the man in question.

Reflecting on the success of the project, Kate said: “First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere thanks to everybody who volunteered to spare the time to bring nourishment and Christmas cheer to an older person.

“As well as having so many offers from people willing to serve up an extra Christmas meal, we received hand-made cards from children at South Farnham School, a donation of mince pies from Waitrose in Farnham and support from the wonderful team at the Farnham Maltings which is where our volunteer cooks went to pick up their food containers and packs of goodies. It was a real community effort.

“Everybody who volunteered to cook a meal went above and beyond what was expected.

“We heard some lovely anecdotes including how whole families got involved with parents encouraging their children to make Christmas cards for the older people. In the end, we were able to arrange delivery of meals to 64 people.”

People who received the meals were quick to express their gratitude with many wanting to send thank-you cards to their volunteer.

One lady from Farnham left a voice message at the Right at Home office to say the meal was “absolutely lovely” and that she wanted to thank cook Amy properly.

Another man made a £100 donation to the Alzheimer’s Society which is the charity supported by Right at Home GF.

The volunteers also gave positive feedback on the experience with several offering their services for next year and others reporting their intention to stay in touch with their new connection.

Although Right at Home is a private home-care provider, it is committed to serving the local community with one-off initiatives such as the Christmas Day meals and fundraising events.

This is combined with regular activities such as Sunflower Cafes for people living with dementia, Singing for the Mind and Love to Move.

More information about these community groups can be found at www.rightathomegf.co.uk