Dorothy Annetts is enjoying a range of new friendships with young men.
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The 93-year-old from St Georges Basin is among a large number of older residents taking part in the Meals Together program, run by North Shoalhaven Meals on Wheels.
Most recently that has included lunch with Scots College students attending the Glengarry Campus.
Mrs Annetts was full of praise for the students.
"They're always lovely and polite and interesting to talk to," she said.
And getting together for a meal once a month "just lifts you".
However she said the differences between the generations sometimes caused confusion.
"It's a bit hard for them to understand when I tell them I cam from the horse and sulky days, and all the roads were dirt," Mrs Annetts said.
Her newfound friends were equally enthusiastic about being able to connect over a meal with people from a different generation.
"It's really good, getting to know them and hearing their stories," said student Clive Reithmuller.
The Meals Together program started in November 2022 on the back of COVID-19 to help reduce social isolation.
North Shoalhaven Meals on Wheels chairman Luke Sikora said social isolation increased for many meals recipients during COVID lockdowns, and too often the Meals on Wheels volunteers were the only people some recipients ever saw.
"It was really sad and disappointing," he said.
Meals Together was started to help provide people with a social outlet, and that program was due to expand, Mr Sikora said, thanks to Federal Government funding.
He said the program had obtained more than $96,000 a year in recurrent funding for its meals and other activities, while the organisation had also been approved as a social service care provider.
"It's an absolute game changer for us," Mr Sikora said.
"It means that our Meals Together program will be extended and expanded throughout the Shoalhaven to assist more residents in need, with more events, meals and participants taking part more regularly.
"It gives us surety and comfort to know that we'll be able to plan for the future," he said
Mr Sikora said the program had already been so successful it expanded from one group to two, and from one meal a month to two, but finding the money to cover the costs had been difficult.
Dedicated volunteer Kathy Zivkovic said she and others had often brought in food to ensure the meals were successful.
But she said it was worth it, for the boost it gave the recipients.
"To see the smiles on their faces makes my day," Ms Zivkovic said.
The children of people taking part in the Meals Together program had also noticed the differences the gatherings made in their parents, she added.
