By Derek Schlennstedt
If it’s a Monday morning, you can be sure you’ll find Belgrave South’s Mia Jansen doing the grocery shopping at the local supermarket … but, she isn’t doing the shopping for herself.
Mia Jansen has been a volunteer with Meals on Wheels, a nationwide charity that provides hot lunches to elderly residents and rehab patients, for decades.
She’s been doing it so long that Yarra Ranges Mayor Tony Stevenson recognised Ms Jansen for an amazing 40 years of volunteering with Yarra Ranges Council.
The only problem was Ms Jansen couldn’t attend the ceremony to receive the award …Why? Because she was busy volunteering.
To Ms Jansen, volunteering is a way of life and it gives her the opportunity to give back to her community.
“I was with meals on wheels for about 35 years… that’s when I had the last certificate,” she joked.
“After that they asked me to do the shopping for a social support program, so I do a bunch a fortnight on the Mondays and take it there.”
Ms Jansen began volunteering with Meals on Wheels when her son started at kinder, 40 years ago.
Rather than stay at home and do housework she wanted to use her time to give something back. That something was Meals on Wheels.
“I don’t like house work, so this came up and they were asking for volunteers,” she said.
“You get to know the people – especially the regular ones, and it becomes a bond.
“You probably get more out of it then they get out of it, because you are giving yourself and your time and you might be the only person they see.”
Yarra Ranges Council celebrated International Volunteer Day on Thursday 6 December with 150 other Meals on Wheels volunteers.
Awards were presented to volunteers for between five to 25 years of service, though Ms Jansen was part of a select group to have reached the 40 year mark.
Although she volunteers at Yarra Ranges Council, Ms Jansen also spends much of her time volunteering with Interchange Outer East, and has also just notched up over 20 years volunteering with St Vincent De Paul.
“My husband and I do volunteering and when we decide to do something we stick it out,” she said.
“We are very lucky … we have two healthy boys, and the lords been good to us, so to give something back for somebody else that you can help out is something special.”
Volunteer Support officer at Yarra Ranges Council, Janette Scott commended Ms Jansen on her 40 years and was able to present the award at a time when Ms Jansen wasn’t busy volunteering.
“We couldn’t offer this service without Mia and the other volunteers. We say that Meals on Wheels is more than just a meal. A major part of it is that there a person coming to visit,” Ms Scott said.
