Final preparations are under way for the (usually) annual community Christmas dinner, organised for the eighth time by the Acts of Kindness Charitable Trust, which will host about 500 people for a festive Christmas lunch.
A fixture of the city’s Christmas calendar for more than 30 years, the event returns after a year off in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Trustees Grant and Anne Hardy and a team of more than 100 volunteers, including cooks — led by chef Geoff Stewart — plus dozens of servers and hosts, are looking forward to welcoming about 500 people to join them at the town hall.
"We will be very happy to welcome a big crowd of people in to celebrate Christmas with us, in the beautiful Dunedin Town Hall, which will be specially decorated for the occasion," Mr Hardy said.
It was great to have experienced chef Mr Stewart to lead the team preparing the dinner.
"It’s great to have him with us. Not only does he have the experience, he also has a great heart," he said.
The menu for this year’s dinner will include roast chicken and hogget, seasonal vegetables and a dessert of plum pudding, custard and cream, pavlova and fruit salad. There will also be vegetarian options.
As a sweet added extra to the occasion, guests will receive Christmas cards, handmade by Dunedin pre-school and school children and members of the community, and distributed through the Sending Love project.
Co-ordinated by local woman Lisa Russell, Sending Love is about people and communities coming together to spread love and festive cheer this Christmas.
"It is one person putting love and thought into a card to pass a smile and a sense of feeling remembered and loved on to another person," Ms Russell said.
Mrs Hardy said about 350 people had signed up to the Christmas dinner so far, which meant there was still plenty of room and food.
"We have lots to go around, so there is no need for anyone to miss out, or to be alone this Christmas," she said.
There were also "bucket loads" of volunteers lined up to help out, including a family of four from California and a family of four from Australia.
"It’s absolutely wonderful how people come together to support this event at Christmas."
- To register as a guest for the free no-alcohol Dunedin Community Christmas Dinner:
● Phone Community House on 471-6150.
● Find the Dunedin Community Christmas Dinner on Facebook, and click on the link to register.
● Register at dch.org.nz/dunedin-community-christmas-dinner
● Visit the Acts of Kindness website, actsofkindness.org.nz
