Grey Power’s ‘Winter Warmer’ soup lunch has been running throughout the winter, with plans to extend service into the summer months. Each Wednesday and Friday from 11.30am – 1.00pm elderly members of the community can visit the Grey Power Rooms on Revell Street in Hokitika to enjoy a bowl of soup and a roll for just $4.00. Some customers enjoy it so much that they bring a container to take another meal home with them.

“There is a huge amount of social isolation in our community, particularly for elderly people,” says Community Development Advisor, Sarah Brown. “One of Council’s goals in our Community Outcomes that we adopted in the last Long Term Plan is to recognise this need and work to reduce it. If we can work with other organisations to empower them to assist, that’s even better.

It has been a very exciting project, working with Grey Power and The South African shop, along with Te Hono Food Bank and Poutini Waiora, to provide the service. Now that it is up and running, I am able to step-back and let them get on with things, but it is an important part of my work to support the community in this way.”

Stephen Foskett, Grey Power President says, “We really appreciate the support that we have received from Sarah to start this service. It has become a day they look forward to for many of the elderly people in the town. It’s a great way for them to get a cheap and nutritious meal, but more importantly they get to socialise and spend time with other people. Some of them arrive at 11.30am and we almost have to turn the lights off to get them out the door! Anything that we can do to make people’s lives a bit better is worth doing.

On behalf of Grey Power and our customers I want to thank everyone who volunteers to keep this service running.”

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