Auckland City Mission to Host 2,000 Aucklanders at Annual Community Christmas Lunch

• The Auckland City Mission’s annual community Christmas lunch takes place on Friday, 25 December 2015, at the Viaduct Events Centre on the Waterfront

• Doors open at 11.30am and the Mission expects about 2000 guests

• On the menu 300kg of ham, 2000 chicken drumsticks, and 300kg of potatoes

The Auckland City Mission is gearing up to host 2000 Aucklanders at the annual lunch on Christmas Day at the Viaduct Events Centre. This community celebration is the culmination of several months of intense planning by the City Mission, and hundreds of hours of work contributed by dedicated volunteers.

“At the Mission, we believe no one should have to eat alone on Christmas Day. It is not only about poverty; it is about the spirit of Christmas, and about celebrating with each other,” said Dame Diane Robertson, Auckland City Missioner.

This year, the Christmas lunch menu includes the preparation of 2,000 chicken drumsticks and 300kg of ham, as well as the cooking of an assortment of vegetables (540kg). For dessert, there will be bucket-loads of jelly to be made to go with the mountains of ice-cream and other festive fare.

At the Christmas Day lunch, an estimated 550 volunteers will contribute about four hours each to decorate the venue, prepare and cook the lunch, serve meals, and clean up afterwards – 2200 hours of volunteer time in total.

Since the beginning of December, the City Mission has been distributing emergency food parcels to hundreds of families in desperate need. At least 7000 gifts have been distributed to these families, so every child has a present to open on Christmas Day. The Mission has also provided gifts to other Auckland community groups to distribute to the families they work with.

“Christmas is the Mission’s busiest time of year. We are always overwhelmed by the level of need we see at this time of the year and unfortunately this year has been one of our busiest yet. At the same time Mission resources have been incredibly stretched with fewer donations than in previous years. I would like to let people know it is not too late to donate and anyone wishing to donate can do so online or by phone. My thanks all those who have already donated or have volunteered to make Christmas special for everyone in our community,” said Dame Diane.

The doors to the Christmas lunch open at 11.30am on Christmas Day. Entertainment will be provided until lunch is served at12.30pm. Every guest will also receive a gift before heading home.

ENDS

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