HILS (formerly Hertfordshire Community Meals) provides a ‘meals on wheels’ delivery service to vulnerable adults, along with welfare checks, companionship and other assistance.
Since 2010 it has increased the number of clients provided with daily lunchtime meals annually from 2,500 in 2010 to 4,000, up 60%.
Sarah Wren, chief executive of HILS said: “Getting support from SBT is an incredibly welcome endorsement of our work and the power of social enterprises like HILS to change lives for the better.
“No other organisation provides the tailored, sustained business input that SBT can offer.
“We look forward to benefiting from that and extending our service to thousands more elderly, vulnerable people as a result.
“With this support we are set to grow, extending our meal delivery client base and providing additional services all aimed at supporting elderly and disabled people to live happily in their own homes.”
Adele Blakebrough, chief executive of SBT aded: “As a nation we face the extraordinary challenge of having an ageing population alongside large government cutbacks in preventative services.
“Whilst many other ‘meals on wheels’ services are declining, HILS with its broader portfolio of preventative services is bucking the trend, with enormous potential to benefit many more elderly people while reducing the cost of care. It’s a win-win situation.
“By drawing on business expertise from across our partners we look forward to supporting HILS in improving life for thousands more elderly people in Hertfordshire and beyond.”
Last year, SBT gave £3m of support to social enterprises in the form of cash grants and 5,000-plus hours of business expertise from its partners: Bain & Company, British Gas, Clifford Chance, Credit Suisse, EY, Permira and Thomson Reuters.
All provide expert volunteers and secondees, many at senior level, to work with social enterprises in SBT’s portfolio.