A LOCAL meal delivery service says its volunteers are pumping out food for hungry residents at 125 per cent capacity as the number of those struggling keeps rising.
Able Australia, who operates the Caddies Community Centre, said more people were seeking out its services than ever before as COVID-19 effects took their toll.
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It comes as three states are in lockdown, and Queensland shuts its border with NSW for four weeks.
A team of volunteers prepares about 750-800 meals per month at the centre on South Street.
A waiting list has been introduced as numbers become too great for the service.
Food is delivered over a huge area which stretches from Beaudesert and Tamborine in the south to Park Ridge in the north, and west to Flagstone.
Three volunteers cook food which is prepared by one full time and one casual person.
It is a huge undertaking, team leader Victoria Barrett said.
"it's a bit of a stretch, but there's a need for it, and we do our best," Ms Barrett said.
Spaghetti bolognaise, cottage pies and roasts are on the menu.
The service adheres to strict food guidelines, and that in itself makes delivery challenging.
"You have to be very careful distance wise, and map out the delivery area properly," Ms Barrett said.
People aged 65 or over or with a disability can access the service.
"We've seen a massive increase, in conjunction with growth in the area," Able Australia's Queensland transport manager Edmund McMahon said.
"It's a really big footprint."
A fleet of drivers takes the meals around the area, after collecting food from Murarrie in Brisbane.
Local donations from the likes of Jimboomba's Woolworths and Coles, Flagstone Coles and Beaudesert and Calamvale supermarkets.
"I get enough bread to sink a battleship," Mr McMahon said.
The home delivered meals service operates from Monday to Friday.
The centre can provide emergency relief for people in financial hardship.
It operates a social group for people 65 and older, taking them on mystery tours and shopping trips.
A community transport service can take people to medical appointment and on social outings with friends.
People wanting to use the service must be registered with My Aged Care and must agree to a home assessment.
There is also a food bank and op shop at the centre, and nurses are on hand to give adult and children check ups.
Caddies is named after volunteer Caddie Bradley. She disappeared at sea while on a solo voyage from New Zealand to Australia on March 18, 1997.
The building, which has rooms available to hire, was once used as Beaudesert's hospital.
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