FareShare is proud to have once again catered the Father Bob Maguire Foundation Christmas lunch in December 2024, providing a delicious meal for around 300 of Melbourne’s most disadvantaged people.
FareShare is proud to have once again catered the Father Bob Maguire Foundation Christmas lunch in December 2024, providing a delicious meal for around 300 of Melbourne’s most disadvantaged people.
In a wonderful display of community effort, the annual Fr. Bob Christmas lunch fills the St. Kilda Town Hall with festive cheer as attendees are treated to an assortment of entertainment, donated gifts, and the main attraction: a sumptuous Christmas lunch.
This year, led by chef Arnel, a team of FareShare chefs worked hard to cook roast turkey and ham off the bone meals with potato gratin, roast vegetables and gravy, followed by sticky date pudding with a butterscotch sauce. Most of the produce was donated.
The meals were served by dozens of amazing volunteers (who had earlier set up the decorations and set the four long tables). As people, including dozens of wide-eyed children, tucked into their tasty, nutritious meals, there was a din of chatter, laughter, contentment.
“It tastes like Christmas,” said one satisfied person. “It feels a lot more like Christmas now.”
Michelle heard about the Fr. Bob lunch at her local charity and attended with two friends she met there. Although Michelle and her husband both work, they still find it difficult to afford food sometimes due to the cost of living.
“It was great food. And it feels special to be invited and treated to something like this.”
Michelle, Fr. Bob Christmas Lunch attendee
For our chefs, the Fr. Bob Christmas lunch is not only a wonderful chance to show off their culinary skills, but also a great opportunity for them to meet people in our community.
At FareShare, our chefs cook thousands of free, nutritious meals every day for people doing it tough, including for the growing number of people experiencing homelessness and isolation in Melbourne. But these are distributed to frontline charities, meaning our chefs have little direct interaction with the people they’re cooking for.
“What we do in the FareShare kitchen is really fulfilling. But one thing we don’t get is that restaurant-type thrill,” says chef Arnel. “It’s great being able to cook a nice, comforting meal for 300 people and to look out there and see people enjoying it and having a good time.”
With millions of Australians now experiencing food insecurity, many cannot afford the delicious, nutritious food we take for granted during the festive season. For some, this will be the only Christmas meal they have.
“We believe everyone should get their fair share this Christmas,” says Arnel. “There’s no more important time for the community to come together around food than this.”