Valued at $100 each, the hampers were put together by FoodWorks Tatura, stacked full of food, treats and non-perishable goods to be distributed by the Generations Church and Op Shop, helping those receiving them celebrate Christmas with a little more ease this year.
Organised by club committee members John Lovel and Steve O’Toole, the hampers are a replacement for its annual Christmas lunch for those in the community who would otherwise spend the day alone, or simply go without.
Unfortunately for the past two years, the lunch hasn’t been able to go ahead due to uncertainty regarding COVID-19.
“It would’ve been our fifth Christmas lunch but with everything going on we couldn’t host it last year or this year, but we still wanted to give back to the community in some way,” Mr Lovel said.
Made possible through donations from the community and funds from the Tatura Football Netball Club, the hampers are set to be distributed mid next week to residents allocated by the Generations Church who may be struggling in the festive season.
The community Christmas Day lunch came about from Mr Lovel and Mr O’Toole having a chat.
“We sort of thought, ‘some people get so much, and others get nothing’, so we decided we wanted to do something for the community and just had a crack at it,” Mr Lovel said.
The day is generally brought together by volunteers, setting up and facilitating the event over the course of four hours on Christmas Day, providing a free meal and friendly environment for all to enjoy.
Each year numbers have grown, beginning with about 70 patrons and increasing up to around 120 people at the last event held.
“Many helping hands reach out and come together to make those couple of hours really special,” Mr Lovel said.
“We’re keen to take the lunch up again next year, the hampers are just a nice gap filler we’ve been able to provide.”
