THIRTY years ago, a group of concerned women gathered around the kitchen table of former Tweed Shire Councillor Hilda 'Billi' Turney to discuss the formation of a local branch of Meals on Wheels.

Never did they imagine the scale their little operation would one day expand to, providing more than 1000 meals a week to around 600 elderly people from Tweed Heads to Pottsville.

"Never in our wildest dreams would we have imagined it would grow to the strength it's grown,” said MW president Diana Abraham, a founding member of the group.

"We used to talk about 'What if we got to 100 meals a week?'; now we deliver over 1000 meals a week. Billi Turney suggested the community needed Meals on Wheels and told us we better get down to her place for a meeting.

"A lot of raffle tickets, cakes, jams and drinks were sold to raise money for the group. When the (Kingscliff) shopping centre opened up, we were always there selling tickets.”

Originally based at Pottsville Community Hall, the group started with the delivery of home-cooked meals to eight people a day, braving all kinds of conditions, including flood waters, to deliver their meals.

The local branch celebrated their 30-year milestone on Wednesday at a special Cuppa for a Cause fundraising lunch at Kingscliff Beach Bowls Club.

Meals on Wheels coordinator Chris Watt said it was a special occasion to mark the evolution of the organisation, which today takes on an important social welfare role as well.

"The social support is a really important aspect of what we do today, meals is just one side of it,” Mr Watt said.

"Now it is about keeping people at home and in touch with their local community.

Studies show, when people are socialised, they are happier, healthier, live longer and have better outcomes.”

For more information or to volunteer, phone 02 6674 2205.