Hundreds of meals for the elderly in Milton Keynes

The funding from the charitable arm of the supermarket has helped fund the installation of a commercial range cooker and undercounter fridge at The Peartree Centre in Milton Keynes which offers a lunch and friendship club run by Age UK.

Denise Stygal-Watson, Chief Executive, said: "We are delighted to have received this grant from Morrisons Foundation, which will enable us to replace essential kitchen equipment.

“Each week, the kitchen produces over 190 much-needed, freshly prepared meals that are delivered by volunteers to older people in the community. We also use the kitchen for our busy clubs, allowing people to enjoy social interactions and a two-course meal every week.

“This wonderful grant has given us peace of mind. We can now continue to offer these activities without worrying about the equipment breaking down, enabling us to increase the number of meals we provide and, ultimately, the number of people we support."

In addition to the lunch club, Age UK Milton Keynes also offers a meal delivery service, three times a week, which takes freshly prepared meals to older households who are isolated due to age, poor health and caring responsibilities. Through these services, the charity supports over 130 people each week and, in 2023, provided 6,924 cooked meals to older people who may otherwise have gone without a warm meal.

David Scott, Morrisons Foundation Trustee said: “The cost of living crisis has hit us all hard, particularly older people in our communities who need extra support. That’s why I’m delighted that the Foundation has been able to provide this donation to help Age UK Milton Keynes to continue to provide hundreds of meals to the elderly people across our community.”

The Morrisons Foundation was set up by Morrisons supermarket in 2015 and awards grants for charity projects which help improve people’s lives. Since launching, over £40 million has been donated to hundreds of charities across England, Scotland and Wales.