Support Your Local Meals on Wheels

We all know of the Meals on Wheels and we can all agree that it’s a vital service in our community. We all know someone who has benefited from it - a family member, a neighbour or a friend. But what you may not know is that this service receives absolutely no government funding.

That’s right, so instead of focusing entirely on the essential work of looking after some of our most vulnerable community members, the dedicated volunteer team behind Summerhill’s Sona Sásta Meals on Wheels have to worry about where the next funding is going to come from.

After 25 years, and many challenges and triumphs along the way, the Meals on Wheels programme is under more financial pressure than ever before.

Your donation, either one-off or a pledge to provide ongoing financial support, can ensure the continued delivery of hot, nutritious meals and a warm space to socialise. The Sona Sásta centre in Summerhill not only provides daily weekday lunches but, crucially, it provides a way to combat social isolation and loneliness. It also helps keep some people out of of nursing homes and gives them the gift of being able to remain in their own home, saving the HSE €‎50k per person a year.

The last few years have been exceptionally challenging for many of us, but particularly for those already in a vulnerable position due to age, health or means. All throughout the pandemic, despite funding challenges, the Meals on Wheels continued to visit people who were completely isolated, providing a lifeline of support. For some, the Meals on Wheels volunteer may be the only person they see all week. Sadly, it’s not uncommon for volunteers to come across someone who has had a fall in their home or has some other unmet need which the volunteers go above and beyond to assist with.

It is no exaggeration to say this service is life-saving. The gift of a hot meal, connection and being able to stay living in your own home cannot be underestimated. Please give what you can today and help keep this vital programme up and running well into the future*. If you can’t donate, please help by spreading the word among your friends and family. We are all responsible for caring for the elderly members of our community.

*If you would like to pledge a monthly amount to contribute to the sustainability of this service, please get in touch.

Learn More

Sona Sásta Meals on Wheels CLG, Summerhill is a voluntary registered charity with 25 years of history behind it of serving the wider community of Summerhill, Co Meath including Rathmolyon, Agher, Kiltale, Moynalvey, Kilcock and Enfield.

Sona Sásta Meals provides daily hot lunches to members of the community who, for reasons of age or health, would find the preparation of their own daily lunch a strain. Lunches are provided Monday to Friday for 50 weeks of the year. Since inception in November 1996, lunch has consisted of a hot nutritious meal prepared on site with local ingredients. Meals are prepared and served by volunteers, in addition to some members who are engaged in the Department of Social Protection’s Community Employment (CE) scheme. Sona Sásta Meals on Wheels CLG is located in rented premises located in the heart of Summerhill Village.

Meals are delivered by Volunteers within the wider community and, in addition, Sona Sásta owns a minibus which also delivers meals. The mini-bus also provides transport to the Sona Sásta Meals on Wheels building where meals can also be eaten on-site. This provides an opportunity for social engagement by members of the community who otherwise would be unable to leave their homes. The social engagement opportunities arising from the meal service (both off-site and on-site) are very significant and contribute to combating isolation and mental health among this vulnerable cohort. Bingo, music and chat are enjoyed at our on-site facility. The mini-bus also brings our service users to the local shops, pharmacy and Health Centre so they have the opportunity to pick up groceries, prescriptions, attend GP visits, etc. Sona Sásta also participates in the Food Cloud program whereby food received from local supermarkets is distributed to our service users and disadvantaged families in

the local area.

We have recently received funding to start a digital literacy program and have purchased age friendly tablets on which our service users will be trained – the tablets will also be borrowed out for use in people’s own homes. We have, since April 2022, been providing our premises for weekly English classes for Ukrainian refugees who have settled in Summerhill and surrounding parishes.

Sona Sásta is a registered charity, run primarily by volunteers. Funding is provided through the minimal charge we receive for meals, through donations and from the receipt of some grants. We are constantly looking for opportunities to help us to continue to fund this invaluable service.