Massive rise in demand MP enables for Manchester meals welfare aid

DEMAND FOR kosher meals-onwheels in Manchester has quadrupled because of the needs of those housebound because of the coronavirus situation.

Nicky Alliance Day Centre chief executive Michelle Wiseman said that with the centre now closed to members, the delivery service assumed greater importance and had been doubled from twice weekly to four days.

And the total weekly delivery had rocketed from 100 meals to around 400.

“A lot of members would not have needed the meals before as they would have got a meal in the day centre,” Ms Wiseman explained.

“At the moment we are able to meet the demand. We have an emergency group of volunteers. Some of our staff are delivering meals with their partners.

On health and “safe distancing” grounds, cash was no longer accepted on the door with clients invoiced for credit or debit card payments.

The day centre team were also maintaining regular telephone contact with members.

Ms Wiseman additionally takes kosher meals back to her home congregation of St Annes, 50 miles away, where “80 per cent of members are over 70”.

She credited the efforts of minister Rabbi Danny Bergson in “helping to keep the community together” in the seaside town.

NEW BURY South MP Christian Wakeford has won praise from Manchester Jewish welfare hub The Fed for helping to maintain food supplies for elderly and vulnerable clients.

The Fed’s Raphi Bloom told the JC that volunteers shopping on behalf of a number of clients had run into difficulty at local supermarkets over buying multiple items of a product.

Even when they had explained the situation, they were not allowed to make such purchases.

But when The Fed contacted Mr Wakeford, he agreed to intervene. Now an arrangement has been reached whereby Fed volunteers wear a badge so supermarket staff are aware they are buying for welfare clients.