In 2013 Melinda started working in Food Services at Hunters Hill Ryde Community Services. Following the 2017 merger with Lane Cove and North Side Community Services, Melinda became the Coordinator of SCS Home Delivered Meals.
Melinda is a local and she was born in Epping and she has always been living in the local area. After studying Dancing at a Performing Arts High School she had various professional experiences from Customer Service Officer at Australian Taxation Office and City of Ryde to State Operations at Rural Fire Service.
Melinda has a soft point for older people and in 2012 she wanted to give back to the community so she decided to volunteer with SCS Home Delivered Meals. It was also a good opportunity for her to share this volunteering experience with her daughter as they were delivering meals together. One year later a position became available and Melinda jumped at the opportunity as “I love the idea of providing nutritious meals and enriching the independent lives of the homebound and seniors” she said. She believes that such a service is essential to the wellbeing of the recipients as for many of them the visit from a volunteer is the only human contact they will experience in a day. She also believes that volunteers are the backbone of this service and she is grateful for counting on them rain, hail or shine.
Melinda has formed strong bonds with clients since she started volunteering and loves the different relationships she has with her customers. One of her favourite times was when she was regularly visiting a friendly couple with two dogs. They always invited her to come in, sit in the lounge with a cup of tea before starting to talk about their past.
Fun Facts
Melinda was performing as acrobat for a children’s circus when she was younger. She also studied Ballet, Tap and Jazz and did performances on stage for several dancing shows.
