• Hounslow Multicultural Centre is a charity and serves daily hot and nutritional meals to vulnerable older men and women who are disadvantaged due to age, isolation, disability, frailty, illness, low income and social inclusion. • Many of them are housebound and unable to cook food themselves because of old age, frailty and ill health. •Recently the meals on wheels service in the borough have also stopped and our Centre now stands alone in attempting to fill this burgeoning need. • Last year we provided Over 6500 hot meals (including home deliveries) to venerable older men and women. • Cost of providing 2-course veg and non-veg meals (6 dishes) per meal is £7.50 we charge only £6.00 for home delivery and £5 at the Centre and don’t even break even. • We subsidise the lunches on our own as LBH does not provide any subsidy anymore. • We need to raise 14,000 for this year to continue with our exceptional service otherwise the lives of vulnerable people will be at risk.

What we'll deliver:

• Deliver approx 6500 hot and nutritional meals to older and housebound people
• Provide company and moral support to isolated people
• Improve client health outcomes by fulfilling their immediate dietary needs,

Why it's a great idea:

With the people living longer, the number of elderly people in the borough has also grown to a great extent. Most elderly and frail individuals live an isolated life due to bereavement of loved ones, separation from family, being liabilities on their children, mental health or physical problems which reduce mobility. Illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, hypertension, heart disease, cancer and the higher rate of depression amongst older people due to isolation lead to loneliness and their needs are not always identified. This is a fact that huge numbers of vulnerable people are looking for daily hot meals. HMCC provides healthy and hot cooked fresh meals at the Centre and also delivers meals to housebound people who are unable to visit the Centre due to frailty and health issues. Food is the lifeline and basic necessity of our life and providing someone with their daily dietary needs is the best thing someone can do. This may be their only main meal of the day.

Steps to get it done:

• Provide approximate 6500 meals including home deliveries to home bound people
• experience improved psychological and physical well-being that will help to maintain their independence
• Older people fell less isolated seeing a friendly face every day.

The price of food has risen to almost 5.7% last year and meat prices have risen to 3.9% but our charges remain the same. The cost of producing 2-course healthy meals (Six dishes which includes fish and poultry) per person is far higher than the price we charge to our clients which only covers our partial cost. On top of that, we have to pay £2 to the delivery drivers for delivering each meal. We are now at the limit of charging the minimum possible; this, however, does not help us to break even. We have seen an increase of 5% in demand for meals each year as more and more people are growing older. Furthermore, meals are subsided on our own as the Council stopped providing any subsidy for meals 3 years ago. It is a well-accepted fact that elderly peoples’ lives are centred on a strong routine around eating, and without the funds, eventually, the services would stop with the immediate and possibly catastrophic impact on our clients.