Gorey Community Support Group delivering hot meals and more
VOLUNTEER GROUP DELIVERING HOT MEALS AND THE PAPER TO LOCALS
ON a bright and sunny evening, local people from Gorey and the surrounding areas like Craanford, Courtown, Tara Hill and Ballycanew were delighted to receive a home cooked meal from the team at Gorey Community Support – as well as a copy of the Gorey Guardian!
For the past number of weeks, volunteers with the Gorey Community Support Group have teamed up with hotel owners the Redmond brothers to deliver 130 freshly cooked meals daily.
Speaking from a distance at their doorway, the locals were particularly impressed to receive their meals still hot, as the hard working chefs use ingredients from the on site farm at the Ashdown Park Hotel.
After a quick stop at Peg
Gibbons florist, Christy and Marie Doyle opened their door to find volunteers ready to hand over two meals and a Gorey Guardian.
‘It’s great not having to go and get what we need as we’re provided with food, fresh vegetables, potatoes and meat and everything. It breaks up the day having people call to the house but Covid-19 has really changed our routines up altogether, very much so. Everything has changed but we are keeping our spirits up,’ said Christy.
A short drive away, Patrick Travers welcomed the delivery along with his three dogs, who are keeping him company.
‘Getting the meals and the paper delivered has been a lovely and terrific help. I’m very thankful and I appreciate the thought and acknowledgement, as I am isolated. I’m managing to remain confined but I’m hoping that it doesn’t go on too long. I go for an odd drive by myself, but I know the rules and recommendations so I keep to myself. I don’t sit and socialise, I know that’s forbidden so I don’t do it,’ he said.
Michael Dwyer of Gorey Community Support said that
about 100 people are availing of this service and that things are going very well with excellent feedback, while the addition of delivering this newspaper came with a little help from members of Wexford County Council.
‘From the hotel, we have seven routes all across the district, and there’s a lot of goodwill out there. Wexford County Council spotted the need for the local paper, as it’s really important during these challenging times that Gorey people have a local medium to serve as an outlet to keep them connected with their local community and overcome social isolation.
‘No one knows how long this is going to go on for, and it’s times like these we need the reliable pillars of society to give us strength such as the paper, the council, radio and community leaders. We need to pull together, row together, ready to take on the challenge’.