Welcome Deliveries
By Emily Toxward
KATHLEEN Kinchington loves delivering meals to the elderly because she believes the service helps residents stay at home longer rather than move to a nursing home. She's been a courier for Tender Loving Cuisine (TLC) for eight years and often travels 230 kilometres a day to deliver meals.
"Providing nutritious meals to the elderly allows them to stay in their homes longer," Mrs Kinchington said. "A lot of those I visit are terrified of going into nursing homes - getting their meals delivered cuts down a lot of stress."
Mrs Kinchington was the first courier for TLC, an organisation that delivers home-style meals to the elderly and disabled in Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast.
"I get more out of it than I put into it - and I am visiting my friends," she said.
The average age of her friends is 80 with the oldest 101, and Mrs Kinchington says they are as "bright as buttons". Over the years she has done more than just deliver meals.
"I reckon I've posted a million letters - I've also mopped floors and put meals in the microwave for them. It's all part of the TLC service," she said.
TLC was established in 1995 when a close friend of the organisation's chief executive officer Jack Barker had a car accident causing serious brain damage. To help out Mr Barker arranged meals for the family during his recovery.
Copyright, Penrith City Star
