Thank you
I thank everyone who helped make our Christmas Day breakfast and lunch successful. This includes donors, volunteers, businesses, organisations that donated or cooked food, and those who came.
Stories of the people who came on Christmas Day
“Susan” came with her two children. She separated in the past 12 months. She was dreading Christmas Day. She didn’t know how the day would go with her children. On Christmas Day, they were used to having many people, food, fun and interactions. Susan thought it was just going to be her and her two children. She was very happy that a friend invited her and her family to our Christmas Day. She wasn’t disappointed.
“Tom” (in his late 60’s) has been coming for a least 6 years. Before finding out about our Christmas Day, he used to spend the day mostly sleeping and watching TV. He said it was a day he dreaded. He now looks forward to it and doesn’t feel he is alone.
“Mary” is a widow. Her children have long since moved away. Her friends have their own Christmas activities with their families. Like many people her age, Mary didn’t enjoy Christmas. To her, it was a reminder of how lonely and isolated she could feel. This was the second year Mary had joined us. She says what she enjoys the most is the friendly atmosphere and that nearly everyone is up for a chat.
Christmas Days since 2011
We started our first Christmas Day event in 2011; this year was our largest. Creative Cuisine cooked 800 Christmas lunches for us, and we also provided breakfast and had other lunch meals prepared by volunteers. Including takeaways, around 1000 meals were provided.
Missing Equipment
Unfortunately, some cooking and serving equipment were misplaced on the day. This included large stainless steel bain-marie trays, expensive carving knives and other equipment. None of this belonged to us, but we have replaced it. This coming Christmas, we plan on using only our own equipment. We expect the cost to be over $1,000, and if you would like to contribute towards this, donations can be made at www.communityfriends.org.au/donate.
Can you help us?
If you (or someone you know) would like to help us on Wednesdays collect food from Foodbank, please contact Jimmy on 0418 452 067.
| Alternatively, if you can help purchase our own equipment for Christmas Day, as mentioned above in “Missing Equipment”, donations can be made at www.communityfriends.org.au/donate. |
