Almost 250 dinners delivered to older residents

Volunteers attached to Maudabawn Community Alert delivered in the region of 250 Christmas dinners to older residents in the local area on Sunday, December 19.

Roseabby McGorry was among those who pulled up their sleeves in the run up to Christmas to ensure no one was left without.

She explained that Maudabawn Community Alert was originally set up in 1997 as a support group for senior citizens in what is one of Cavan’s largest rural communities. One of the outcomes of that coming together was the organisation of various outings and even an annual Christmas luncheon at the local Gallonray House.

“It started out basically a group of people going around and chatting with elderly people, making sure they were okay and secure in their own homes. When Covid happened it put a stop to all that, including, at this time of year, our Christmas gathering.”

So, as Roseabby puts it, the Maudabawn Community Alert “moved the mountain to Mohammed”.

The initiative, which began in 2019, continued in 2021, with a team of regimented volunteers tasked with dishing out hot and tasty three course meals to elderly people in the Maudabawn area. Side Street Cafe in Cootehill Town cooked the dinners, which were then transported fresh to Gallonray House which acted as a distribution hub.

“We divided up the area so that no one eligible would be missed. We delivered 185 last year, and this year we had close to 250. From start to finish, the dinners arrived at 12pm and we were all back in our homes by 2pm.”

Some people, close neighbours, joined together to share the Christmas cheer brought to their doors.

Roseabby says it’s a really important initiative, especially for the Maudabawn area, where Covid has only served to heighten the sense of rural isolation.

“It’s so important that senior people in a community have an outlet. The likes of Gallonray host a lunch every Wednesday where people know they can go and have some dinner and a wee chat. It makes a big difference.”