Yvonne Carruthers
Nominated by: Meal Makers (Food Train Scotland)
Yvonne Carruthers is a Meal Makers volunteer cook. Her role is to cook an extra portion of her home-made meal and share that with her diner, an older person in her local community. This means access to better nutrition and helps to prevent malnutrition for the recipient. In doing so, Yvonne also provides companionship, friendship, and a means to assess the need for any additional support. Yvonne and her dog Lily have been paired with Moira since September 2017, originally cooking for Moira’s husband Bill as well, until his death, sadly, in 2019. During the pandemic Yvonne also supported a second diner for four months, as well as making check-in calls to 15 diners to help prevent loneliness and isolation. The general expected time spent with a diner is 30 minutes, but Yvonne often spends a lot more than this, giving Moira her undivided attention.