We feed about 55 people each day; the number varies between 30 and 70. This is about 11,500 meals a year. All are welcome, and our clients are mostly the alienated, disadvantaged and marginalised of Kingston.
We would like to make their Christmas a little more cheerful by providing a Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings, and, to our regular clients, a Christmas stocking of personal items which they cannot afford out of their limited incomes.
We used to be able to cook the meal ourselves, but legislative changes in health and safety re cooking mean that we now have to have it professionally prepared in a commercial kitchen and this has greatly increased our costs. Your $750 will mean that we are able to have a full meal and desert and juice and coffee in a properly decorated Hall with a Christmas atmosphere.
Our Coordinator identifies the regular clients - about 60 people - and we plan to give them a Christmas stocking filled with personal items such as toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, toques and scarves. Much of this is donated during the year and kept for Christmas, but we are always lacking enough of some items. We like to keep each stocking as equal as possible.