The "Meals on Wheels Service" is suffering a shortage of volunteers, as a number of them are seeking retirements. The group at present has 70 Volunteers.

"The number of Timaru delivery runs without a driver in March is 13, and there are 30 delivery runs without a driver in April. We do have casual drivers we can call on in emergencies to cover these runs if needed, but would prefer to find more volunteers", said District Health Board Clinical Services’ General Manager Christine Nolan.

She also said that the group ensures the delivery of all the meals.

She shared that in Timaru, the volunteers work in pairs, wherein one of them drives while other gives away the food. However, the number of days of working varies for all of them. While some volunteers work every day, others work once a week.

Every round of delivery covers 14 meals reaching different homes in one hour.

Ms. Nolan also said that volunteers are needed specifically in the Timaru region.