Christmas lunch saved: Volunteers at the Christmas for Those Alone lunch.
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Despite being cancelled four weeks before Christmas Day, the annual Christmas for Those Alone event was able to go ahead, providing a festive lunch for people at the McIntosh Centre at the Shepparton Showgrounds.
Festive delight: The Christmas for Those Alone lunch went ahead.
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Volunteer co-ordinator Sue Spence was amazed by the community support and assistance the committee received in such a short amount of time.
“I put a post up on our Facebook page that we were cancelling, because we only had four committee members,” she said.
“We had advertised for more members, and we’d had meetings, but nothing was happening, we just thought it was too big for four of us to do it.
“When I went away, (committee member) Dave (Hession) rang me and said, ‘we’re going to have a meeting on Wednesday night, we’ve had so much support that’s come out of this, we may be able to put it back on.’”
With assistance from sponsors and volunteers, the Christmas for Those Alone committee was able to put on the lunch for more than 200 people.
Ms Spence said the event had received some generous donations from sponsors.
“North End Bakehouse donated, In Hospitality donated a trolley and the Greater Shepparton City Council donated the hall and covered the insurance,” she said.
“We had lucky door prizes that were all donated, so people hung around for that which was a bit more fun.”
Chef 4 Hire, located in Albury, catered for the event.
Festive feast: Chef 4 Hire catered the Christmas lunch.
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Ms Spence said the time and commitment the catering group dedicated to the event was remarkable.
“He gave up his time, he came over four weeks in a row to meetings, he came over the last few days in between running his business, he was running this for us,” she said.
“They were just amazing.”
As well as lunch, there were activities for children at the event, such as face painting, presents and an appearance from Santa.
If you’re interested in volunteering for the 2024 lunch, keep an eye on the Christmas for Those Alone Facebook page for updates and announcements.
