Their meals, which are made with the love that only a nonna can bestow, are then enjoyed by the community, particularly those who are aged, frail or have a disability.
Already the heart of the Italian family, these nonnas have also become the heart of PISA, a government-funded community meal service in Adelaide.
Short for Pasti Italiani e Servizi per Anziani, PISA comprises around 130 volunteers who each play their part in providing those in need with nutritious and tasty food made fresh and delivered hot on a daily basis.
“Our volunteers are very kind and dedicated people and we are one big family,” PISA Executive Officer Kelley Russo said.
PISA was born out of the determination of several key community leaders who, in 1984, began lobbying for funding to establish an Italian meal delivery service.
The Italian Meal Service, PISA’s predecessor, was founded in 1999 under the auspices of Multicultural Aged Care (MAC), and funded by the Home and Community Care (HACC) program.
In its early years, the organisation purchased meals from a local Italian nursing home and volunteers would then deliver the meals to members of the community.
Following five years of success, the organisation became independent under the new name PISA, and opened its first kitchen in 2004.
“The local council of Norwood Payneham & St Peters dedicated a building to PISA and we started cooking fresh food from then,” Ms Russo said.
The organisation has continued to flourish, and while it currently serves around 300 meals a day, it has the capacity to feed up to 1000 people on a daily basis thanks to the opening of its new kitchen,which was launched at an official ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday.
PISA’s role within the community extends far beyond the provision of meals, and volunteers are also dedicated to providing social support, a friendly face and welfare checks which put family members at ease.
In one case, volunteers were able to save a client who was found in the shower where he had fallen over and broken his hip, all because he failed to answer the door, something which they noted as uncharacteristic of him.
In another case, a client had suffered the loss of his wife and was refusing to eat as a result, so after being contacted by his family, PISA discovered which region in Italy he came from, and arranged a chat with one of the organisation’s nonnas who came from the same area.
That particular nonna then cooked the man’s favourite meals for two weeks straight, and he miraculously began to eat again, comforted by the same flavours his wife used to produce.
“Now, he eats all of our meals because he feels as though his wife is still cooking for him,” Ms Russo said.
“He is happy again and the family is relieved.”
It is these moments, and being able to put a smile on someone’s face each day, which make the investment of volunteers’ time worthwhile.
Though PISA has received recognition from the government for its efforts, adequate funding is a major obstacle.
The organisation is audited thoroughly in order to meet industry standards, something which Ms Russo stresses is an ongoing and costly process which puts a strain on its resources.
“For the future, PISA has to become more proactive in creating income with the changes to funding,” she added.
“As we move towards consumer-directed funding, PISA needs to be more self-sufficient.”
Taking a more multicultural direction will also be a key part of the organisation’s strategy, while recruiting committed and capable volunteers is an ever-present focus.
Though there is certainly space for PISA to grow even more, it’s impressive to think that the organisation has achieved such great success over its lifetime…and it all began with a smile and an Italian meal served from the heart.
Become part of the family and volunteer for PISA; visit the organisation’s website or call (08) 8240 3491. For daily updates, check out PISA’s Facebook page.
