WARRENHEIP resident Karen Davies is stepping up her voluntary output these holidays.<\/p>\n
Since 2017, she\u2019s donated her time and effort helping to provide meals for Our Lady Help of Christians Parish\u2019s free Christmas Day lunches.<\/p>\n
For the past five Christmases, she\u2019s performed tasks like greeting attendees, taking orders and cleaning dishes, and this year will see her take on the role of coordinating the roughly 25-person crew.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the people involved have been involved certainly longer than me so we know what\u2019s required and people communicate clearly and respectfully,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everybody enjoys it. They want it to go well and we want our guests to have a special and joyous time. The voluntarism and the generosity really ripple out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re caring for people who perhaps can\u2019t afford to buy a Christmas meal. Increasingly, the guests tell us the food\u2019s lovely but it\u2019s lovely to be together.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s that sense of community that many of our guests seek, really.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Davies\u2019s support for the Our Lady Help of Christians event began after a change in her family circumstances, having known about the parish\u2019s free Christmas lunches for years prior to getting involved.<\/p>\n
About 140 guests are expected for this year\u2019s lunch, and Ms Davies said volunteering is an important part of any community, whether it\u2019s during the holidays or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very necessary thing to do, to share, especially that idea of Christmas sharing. So, I\u2019m very happy to continue with this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very busy day, and a tiring one, but it\u2019s very worthwhile in the end. There\u2019s something about gathering people on a special day and providing something they wouldn\u2019t have had otherwise.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s trying to make the day memorable for them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WARRENHEIP resident Karen Davies is stepping up her voluntary output these holidays. Since 2017, she\u2019s donated her time and effort helping to provide meals for Our Lady Help of Christians Parish\u2019s free Christmas Day lunches. For the past five Christmases, she\u2019s performed tasks like greeting attendees, taking orders and cleaning dishes, and this year will […]<\/p>\n