RACV launches food home delivery service

RACV's resorts are closed, but the kitchens are open and preparing meals for the vulnerable members of Victoria's regional community.

In these challenging times, spare a thought for vulnerable elderly people in regional Victoria with less-ready access to healthy meals. There are fewer services in many regional centres, and some older folk may not have family nearby.

RACV is helping elderly members in regional Victoria by delivering healthy, nutritious meals to their homes while keeping its own staff employed.

While RACV's resorts and Healesville Country Club & Resort are closed to the public, their kitchens are open and preparing meals for members who may not be able to go out to get fresh, healthy food.

RACV is offering its Food@Home service to members aged over 75 and living within 15 kilometres of its Cape Schanck, Goldfields, Inverloch and Torquay resorts and Healesville Country Club.

RACV Club general manager Robert Everett says elderly people in regional areas may find it harder to access quality meals and Food@Home will give them an easy home-delivered option.

“This regional initiative recognises that the elderly are more vulnerable and possibly unable to get out,” he says.

“We decided that while our resorts were closed and the kitchens were not being used, we could make food and deliver it to people’s homes to make it easier for them, while keeping staff employed.”

He says the program is keeping about 35 staff in jobs and that number may increase in line with demand. RACV expects the service to expand to about 2800 meals prepared and delivered each week across its resorts.  

The service launched on 30 April and he says the feedback so far is positive, with members saying the food is fresh, good quality and competitively priced, with a speedy delivery by friendly staff.

Among those to take advantage of the service so far is Pamela Silvester, 80 and an RACV member for more than 50 years. She says Food@Home has been a bonus to her as she is in lockdown at her home in Fingal near RACV’s Cape Schanck Resort.

“I’ve dined at the resort’s Mantellina restaurant, so I know the food is to die for,” she says. “This new service is fantastic, especially for people on their own. When you’re alone you tend to cook plain food, but the RACV menu has a lot of variety and the food is very appealing.”

The meals, which are provided at cost, were designed by RACV executive chef Jason Camillo and cooked by RACV’s chefs, including Josh Pelham of Cape Schanck Resort’s hatted restaurant, Cape. The meals are delivered vacuum-sealed ready to heat, and include a wide range of cuisines from bistro favourites such as potato and leek soup and lasagne, to slow-cooked lamb shoulder with spinach, mashed potato and red wine jus or Thai green vegetable curry.