Four mornings a week, Mike and Maud Burke drive the short distance from their home in Papatoetoe to Middlemore Hospital to collect the meals for their Meals on Wheels run and then set off to deliver hot nutritious food to 18 people. The trip takes them one and a half hours a day.

For a man in his 90th year, Ron Donnelly is committed to keeping active. He still has his driver’s licence, talks or texts his two children nearly every day and retains a sharp wit. And through Meals on Wheels, Ron gets something he deems just as important – “variety”. 

The entire Red Cross Balclutha Branch received a National Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of their 84 years of service. The award recognises people who’ve made a special and noteworthy contribution to Red Cross.

Kay and Karan are among the 3,000 volunteers with New Zealand Red Cross who deliver hot meals to people unable to cook for themselves. Find out about their Meals on Wheels journey.

We never know when we might find ourselves in an emergency, in the middle of a disaster, or in need of a friendly face and a human connection.