Cooking Up Connections is a meal-sharing and community-strengthening program that connects people who like to cook and connect, with an older resident in our community. Volunteers share an extra portion of their home-cooked meal with an older resident on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis.
Cooking Up Connections
Volunteer for Cooking Up Connections
How it works
Volunteer cooks prepare and deliver a regular meal to a local diner. Volunteers can choose who they would like to cook for. We try to match cooks and diners who share something in common, whether that's interests, food preferences or location.
The program involves:
- cooking your usual meal
- plating up an extra portion
- delivering the extra portion to an older resident and taking the time to say hello.
To further enhance the social connection, you may even like to take your meal along as well and share it with the diner at their home.
The program relies on volunteer cooks committing to deliver meals to the same diner on a regular basis – which could be weekly, fortnightly or monthly. However, cooks can certainly take breaks - we just ask that you let your diner know in advance.
Requirements
Before commencing with the program, volunteer cooks must complete:
- a food safety and hygiene learning program and quiz (please allow 30 to 60 minutes to complete)
- a Police Check
- a Working with Children Check (this requirement is mandatory for all Glen Eira Council registered volunteers)
- sign a Volunteer Agreement
- provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination (doses 1 and 2).
The Program Coordinator will contact you, guiding you through the registration process and discussing suitable diners located in your area.
How to become a Volunteer Cook
To join as a volunteer cook:
- Complete the Expression of Interest form
- Complete and pass the Do Food Safely quiz-external site. Please keep a copy of the certificate as you will need to forward this to the Project Support Officer.
Our Project Support Officer – Cooking Up Connections will contact you to guide you through the induction process.
More information
For more information about the program, you can contact our Project Support Officer by emailing cookingupconnections@gleneira.vic.gov.au or calling us on 9524 3333
Become a diner with Cooking Up Connections
To register your interest to become a diner in the Cooking Up Connections program, please fill in the expression of interest form and we will be in touch to match you with a cook.
