Introducing WRCC’s Community Food Fleet
We started running our home meals delivery service in August 2023, following the closure of Apetito’s “Meals on Wheels” service which used to be subsidised by Warwickshire County Council. Similar services around the UK have been closing in recent years and are now supported by fewer than one in five councils in England due to cost cutting measures. WRCC runs the Community Food Fleet as a not-for-profit “Meals on Wheels” service and we do not currently receive support from any other organisation.
Our flexible service allows you to order meals – for yourself or for a relative – as often as you need them, whether every day or a couple of times a week. We understand that plans may change so you can call us before 10.00am to cancel your meal without charge for that day, and you can also suspend your home delivery order at any time. Our “Meals on a Mission” approach means we provide our delivery service to people for 365 days a year across the whole of Warwickshire – so you’ll never be without a hot meal!
Who can use this service?
Anyone can order a meal from our Community Food Fleet service – you don’t need to meet any strict criteria, and there are of course times when people just don’t feel like cooking. But the majority of those enjoying meals tend to be elderly people living at home alone, who may not see anyone else on a daily basis and who can suffer from ill health and potentially malnutrition if they don’t eat regularly.
For many people, though, the service is about “more than meals”. It can help to keep you (or your relatives) living independently at home, while providing the reassurance that someone is checking in on a regular basis. Several of our drivers used to work for the former “Meals on Wheels” service and are familiar faces in homes around Warwickshire. They’re used to helping people complete meal choice forms, plate food, or get cutlery from your kitchen to help make mealtimes easier and more enjoyable.
All our friendly delivery drivers are enhanced DBS checked and are trained to carry out basic well-being and safety checks when they deliver your meals, giving you peace of mind. For this reason, we need to see you whenever we deliver a meal. We will always keep next of kin contact details in case we have any concerns or there is no reply at the door, and will contact the next of kin when needed.
Many of our customers have limited mobility. Our drivers are used to using key-safe access to customer homes; they will always call out when they enter the house, so you will know who has come into your home and won’t need to worry.
Here’s a peek behind the scenes as we join Adrian, one of our team of hardworking drivers, making Community Food Fleet lunchtime deliveries across the south of the county.
What’s on the menu?
How to order
Please call 01926 800915 – if we can’t take your call as we’re helping another customer, we’ll call you back as soon as possible. Or you can email us with any questions.
You can order your first few days of meal choices by phone and your delivery driver will deliver menus for future orders on your first delivery day. Meals are delivered between 11.30am and 2.30pm, depending on your address and our order delivery round – once you start the service, we can give you a better idea of when you will receive your meals.
Payment is by bank transfer, or by cash or a cheque to the driver. Card payment will be available soon.
And get in touch …
We’re looking to increase the range of meals available and intend to introduce new options and new suppliers as we continue to develop our Community Food Fleet service. Please email us with any suggestions or feedback you may have.
We’re always keen to speak to reliable, experienced drivers who may like to join our team. If you’d like to find out more about opportunities within our team, please call 01926 800915.
And if you’re an organisation or business based in Warwickshire who’d like to support this important community initiative, we’d be very interested in hearing from you. Please email Kim Slater for an informal chat or call him on 01789 842182.
Download a simple text version of our menu.
Still have questions? Get in touch. Email us at cff@wrccrural.org.uk or call 01926 800915.