For the past 17 years, Lynne Pearce has been a friendly face at Samaritans Christmas lunches in Newcastle.
And, it will be no different at the Railway Carriage Shed, on the foreshore, on Wednesday 25 December.
From 10am until 2pm, more than 1,000 people are expected to descend upon the site and embrace some much-needed festive spirit.
There, they’ll also deal with one of the event’s longest-serving volunteers, who takes great delight in being able to “give back”.
“I decided to lend a hand when my husband passed away,” Lynne said.
“We always had 20-to-30 people over for lunch on Christmas Day and I thought: ‘I’m going to do something for myself’.
“It was funny… after the first time I did it, Samaritans thanked us all for volunteering and I said: ‘no, thank you for letting me do it’.
“I found it so fulfilling.
“And, that’s why I keep coming back.”
Now in its 24th year, Samaritans Christmas Lunch in the Park is the region’s largest Christmas Day event.
It aims to offer much-needed compassion and support to individuals and families in need, especially in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.
Lynne adds she enjoys mingling with the local community.
“It’s great seeing the appreciation you get from most of the people there,” she said.
“Over the years, I see so many regulars coming back, and they often bring their kids along.
“It’s really nice to see.”
An army of volunteers have already began setting up for the 2024 edition.
And, amazingly, they’ll unload:
- 3,000 bottles of water and soft drinks
- 1,000 packs of barbecue chicken
- 1,000 tubs each of potato salad and coleslaw
- 1,000 freshly-baked bread rolls
- 100 kilograms of leg ham
- A gift for every attendee, provided by Samaritans Giving Tree program
For more community stories:
- Volunteers busy ahead of Samaritans’ iconic Christmas Lunch in the Park
- Church warden’s star turn for Singleton Christmas Eve Lunch
- ‘Exceptional project’ close to Sleapy’s Foundation’s heart
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