1. “ supporting local older people at home”

2. Who we are?
Food Train is a registered charity, voluntary organisation and social enterprise, established in 1995.
We provide vital services to older people, who may need some additional support due to age, ill health, frailty or disability.
Our primary objective is to support older people to live independently within their own homes and communities for as long as possible.

3. What we do ... Food Train weekly grocery delivery service
Food Train ‘EXTRA’ practical home support service
Food Train Friends befriending and contact service
Outreach library service
Meal Makers online community meal sharing service

4. How did Meal Makers come about……
For years Food Train have conducted annual customer survey’s and each year the same thing came back – older people just want a home cooked food!
How do you get hot food to older people utilising volunteers on scale?
In 2013 CEO Michelle Carruthers went on study trip to London
Visit Casserole Club who run a similar project utilising technology
Within 6 months secured funding from Scottish Government and the Rank Foundation for a 2 year pilot
In 2014 Meal Makers was launched as a pilot in Dundee and has continued to expand ever since

5. What is Meal Makers?
Meal Makers is a project which encourages and facilitates people to cook and share an extra portion of food with an older person living locally who could really benefit from a delicious, home cooked meal from a friendly neighbour.

6.
Utilise an online web platform to facilitate the sign up of both volunteer cooks & older people ‘diners’, matching them together using GPS tracking system

7. Meal Makers - How it works?
PVG
Cook signs up and completes criminal record check and an online food hygiene test
Local Recruiters find Diners and help to sign them up
Cooks search for local Diners, Meal Makers team help make the match. This is done using GPS tracking
Cook and Diner arrange a date and time for a meal share
Cook delivers tasty home cooked meal to their diner
Cook logs meal share on the website

8. Ways we communicate with our volunteer cooks
Ways we communicate with our ‘diners (older people)

9. Mapping Process
Cooks and diners are generally matched within 1km (10 min walking) distance

10. Where are we? NE Fife MM Jun 2018 Perth & Kinross MM Nov 2015 Stirling
FT Nov 2011
MM Jan 17
Dundee
FT Jan 2012
MM Aug 2014
Renfrewshire
FT Jun 2013
MM Jan 2016
West Lothian
FT Sep 2010
Edinburgh
MM Feb 2016
North Ayrshire
FT Jul 2015
Glasgow
FT Feb 2013
MM Jan 2015
Scottish Borders (selected areas)
FT & MM Jun 2017
Dumfries & Galloway FT Jul 1995

11. Reach
Rolled out officially in 11 Local Authority areas across Scotland
Made matches in an additional 10 Areas
Social Media
Traditional methods

12. 584 ‘Cooks’ and ‘Diners’ matched
Progress so far
10,781 Meals shared
9,902 hours of befriending
584 ‘Cooks’ and ‘Diners’ matched
*Stats accurate as of 31/07/2018

13. Long Term Benefits Reduce social isolation Tackle malnutrition
Increased social contact
Encourages intergenerational community cohesion
Helps tackle the digital divide

14. Contact details 0800 783 7770/ 0141 551 8118 8 hello@mealmakers.org.uk
* Suite 2/6a Brook Street Studios, Brook Street, Glasgow, G40 2AB