Community gets behind special Christmas dinner

November 26th, 2013
[by David Armstrong]

Invitations are now open for a free community Christmas Day Dinner to be held at Memorial Hall, aimed mainly at people and families who may not have others around to help celebrate the day.

The big community dinner is being hosted by the community development group Vision Motueka and organised by a committee that includes representatives of churches and service providers.

The event, which Vision Motueka hopes will become an annual one for the town, was the brainchild of Rankeilor Arnott, a member of both Vision Motueka and St Andrews Church parish. She was aware of similar dinners run in other towns, including one in Nelson, and wondered why the same couldn't be provided in Motueka.

"But it did need the organisational and financial ability of an established trust so our minister Rev Peter Norman suggested I approach Vision Motueka with the idea," she says. That was back in April, when she had already enlisted promises of help from several St Andrews helpers.

They started out finishing the research that Rankeilor had already started on how such occasions were run elsewhere. "That gave us a great head start as we didn't have to totally reinvent the wheel," she says.

They decided that the dinner should be aimed mainly at people living on their own, elderly people without families, solo parents, families and whanau that find Christmas a hard time to get through, and perhaps some seasonal workers.

Service providers such as Family Service Centre, the Sallies and other churches have been making contact with the lists of people who they thought would be helped by the dinner. The organisers believed that they could cater for up to about 150 people of all ages.

The free dinner will be open to anyone, but it is hoped that it will be especially attended by those who find Christmas a difficult time. To that end, Rankeilor says that anyone who knows of someone who would benefit should so an invitation can be sent.

After the decision was made about who would attend, the fun part began. Rankeilor's team also started making contact with people and businesses who could help with the finances, food and catering, and offers have just poured in over the past few months.

"It's been mind-blowing and humbling," she says. "Some people have donated significant sums of money and food, but most amazing has been the number of people who have offered to give up a few hours of their Christmas Day to do the setting up, serving and other jobs on the day."

So far the grand total of 41 people have volunteered their services for the meal and other fun, which will run from 12 noon to around 2.30pm. In addition, the Motueka Community Board, Lionesses and Grey Power Motueka have donated money.

Other donations include fruit cakes and icing, chocolates, ice cream, roast meat, frozen vegies and napkins, table decorations, as well as Christmas presents for the children.

Food will be cooked at the kitchens of Parklands School's Motet, across the road from Memorial Hall. The Marae is also helping out with equipment.

Such is the amount of food and manpower on offer that the committee has decided to raise the catering level to 200. Special guests will be the Tasman District Mayor, the Community Board chairman and - yes - Father Christmas.

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