A community effort led by the Father Bob Maguire Foundation and FareShare ensured some of Melbourne’s most disadvantaged people got their fair share this Christmas.
Father Bob’s traditional Christmas lunch was threatened after previous catering arrangements fell through. FareShare stepped in to cook the feast with all the trimmings at Collingwood Town Hall on Friday 23 December.
More than 300 guests, including dozens of children, sat down to a sumptuous Christmas lunch prepared from food donated by Woolworths and served by volunteers.
The menu comprised roasted lemon & oregano chicken, ham off the bone and roast vegetables, followed by sticky date pudding with salted caramel sauce and ice cream.
“We are extremely grateful for FareShare and our volunteers for enabling us to host this lunch, so that nobody is left behind this Christmas,” said Fr Bob Maguire.
FareShare cooks 5,000 nutritious meals every day for people doing it tough, including growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness and isolation in Melbourne.
“With three million Australians – including more than 730,000 children – now living below the poverty line, many cannot afford the delicious, nutritious food we take for granted during the festive season,” said FareShare’s Lucy Farmer.
“We believe everyone should get their fair share this Christmas. There’s no more important time for the community to come together around food.”
Father Bob’s, the major foodbank, material aid provider and legal support for the South Melbourne area, also provided Christmas hampers to more than 1,000 families this week.
FareShare is supporting a number of charity Christmas lunches with rescued and donated food this year including a sit-down lunch for 250 at Richmond Churches Food Centre on Christmas day and a community lunch for 85 at the Wellington Centre.
