Meals on Wheels

Sharing a meal and a message

The act of caring for others can make tangible outcomes socially and environmentally. Through acts of kindness, Meals on Wheels championed the message of the single-use plastic bans, while helping those in need.

Meals on Wheels members understood the importance of the bans coming into effect, but they needed help finding local alternatives to plastic. Limited resources meant they didn’t have the time to actively look for alternatives. They wanted to work with likeminded services in their region to benefit from economies of scale.

Meals on Wheels ran a very effective community engagement campaign targeting their volunteers, clients and the general public. They were able to start the conversation about the single-use plastics ban. Creative people were encouraged to sow or crochet fabric bags to be distributed by Meals on Wheels volunteers to clients around the state. Many people pointed out that society used to function without plastic and so these bans reflected going back to a simpler time.

There was an overwhelming response from the public sending bags to their main offices. They believe the campaign not only helped spread the word about the ban in NSW, but also supported them with attracting volunteers of a different profile; people who may not have been aware of ways (other than meal delivery) to support their local Meals on Wheels service.

Social causes are a fantastic way to raise awareness on environmental issues as they are connected and trusted within their local community. Meals on Wheels generated a huge amount of local media coverage during the partnership period and reached well over 1.3 million NSW residents with print/online media exposure.