Going above and beyond delivering Meals on Wheels

Maud and Mike Burke have delivered Meals on Wheels in South Auckland four times a week every week of the year since 2016. This clocks up to around 2,600 hours of volunteering each – which would equate to volunteering 24 hours a day for three months straight.

In recognition of their extraordinary service, Maud and Mike have received Certificates of Commendation, awarded to people who’ve made a special and noteworthy contribution to New Zealand Red Cross.

Every year New Zealand Red Cross recognises the service of their people through national honours and awards. The organisation is a team of over 500 employees and 10,000 members and volunteers across the motu from Kaitaia to Invercargill.

Maud and Mike have over 40 years of service between them. Maud started as a Meals on Wheels volunteer in 1991. She’s now a team leader and delivers meals throughout Ōtāhuhu and Mt Wellington. Mike joined a little later once he’d retired from their trucking business and has been volunteering for 11 years. 

Their dedication to Meals on Wheels is nothing short of incredible – both in terms of the amount of volunteering they do and the caring relationships they build with recipients. They’ve delivered meals in all situations – including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, as well as during the Auckland floods in 2023. 

“We delivered meals every day during COVID lockdown because nobody else would do it. There wasn’t another car out there – we loved it. We did it safely of course – putting the meal in a box outside each door. That was a special time for us,” Mike said. 

They enjoy delivering meals and love meeting new people, over time developing deep knowledge and care for their recipients. Each delivery day they check on their recipients – if they’re not home, they report non-sightings or other welfare concerns. In April this year, Maud consistently reported welfare concerns about a recipient, which ended up saving their life. 

“You get to meet some wonderful people, and we know the hot meals are appreciated. We’ve delivered to some people for more than 10 years. They become like extended family so you can feel like you're helping your own grandparents – that has to be a good thing,” said Maud.

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Thank you to all our people for your contributions to our mission and Movement – we couldn’t do it without you. 

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