FOR SISTER Maureen Rigby, her three Newcastle Meals on Wheels deliveries each week are more than lunches, dinners and desserts. They're also about connection.
"I find they're very respectful and personally interested in you," Sister Rigby said.
"They want to bring the meals right inside and even put them in the fridge for you if you need that.
"They're very busy too, I admire them. It's volunteer work and they're so committed to their work and delivery to people.
"It saves us going down the street a lot to buy veggies... I just find them great men, they really are."
She said clients also received small gifts on their birthdays, Easter and Christmas.
Donald McGregor has been volunteering with the Hamilton branch for 10 years and encouraged friends to join him.
"I get a lot of self satisfaction giving back to the community," said Mr McGregor, who delivers meals to Waratah on Monday and Hamilton South and parts of Merewether and Adamstown on Friday.
"Some of our clients lead very lonely lives and some days we're the only people that they see.
"There's always a smile on their face at the door when you arrive with the meals and over the years you form a close relationship with them.
"We're all on first name terms and [we] really watch out for each other.
"The volunteers are a great bunch of people and you make a lot of friends, which is a bonus."
Mr McGregor delivered to Sister Rigby her regular order on Monday, as well as a Lite n' Easy traditional Christmas dinner meal.
Lite n' Easy donated 500 of the dinners for Meals on Wheels Newcastle clients.
The two organisations recently formed a partnership, which Meals on Wheels Newcastle general manager Damien Isaacs said would improve "choice and range" for clients.
"This part of the population is growing and growing rapidly and being able to do that work efficiently and economically is going to be the biggest challenge moving forward.
"It doesn't mean in any way that Meals on Wheels stops cooking it means we are all working together to provide what is needed... by not competing we're putting our energy into the same goal."
The Meals on Wheels network is working with Miles Morgan Australia to modernise its operations.
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