HUNDREDS of Limerick people enjoyed a whopper Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and the chance to bask in some festive cheer this past weekend (December 21).
Limerick Island Community Partners (LICP) served 150 free dinners at King’s Island Community Centre as part of an initiative to help those in need with the support of the Free Dinner Trust.
Launched this past September, the initiative offers 120 free Sunday dinners every week to members of the community and is prepared entirely by staff and volunteers.
And last week, people were treated to Christmas sweets, selection boxes, and a visit from Santa Claus for the little ones.
John O’Sullivan, manager of Limerick Ireland Community Partners, said: “We were able to host 150 people for our Christmas free dinner event in Kings Island Community Centre aimed at the vulnerable including the homeless, those suffering addiction, the elderly, and people facing economic hardships. We also ran our free winter coat service and toys for the children were provided by Santa with everyone receiving a selection box.”
The initiative wouldn’t be complete without the help of volunteers, a roster of up to 20 volunteers, among them those living in direct provision or living on the streets.
And one such volunteer, Anthony O’Donnell, has spent the past 10 years dedicating his time to help out those in need.
“I went to down to play bingo in the community centre at the time, and it wasn’t long before I ended up on the committee. Since then I’ve ended up on loads of committees, and started volunteering and helping out … it’s absolutely fabulous,” Anthony told the Limerick Post.
Since September, the weekly event has gone from strength to strength with people from all walks of life coming out to give something back to the community.
“There’s five of us who are Irish … but the rest are Italians, Indian, Spanish … there’s every kind of nationality. We have a doctor that comes out every week and another fella with a great job in Northern Trust. I even asked him, why do you volunteer? He said he just wanted to give a little bit back,” Anthony shared.
However those availing of the service get much more than just a free dinner, it also gives them a chance to sit back and relax and interact with other people in the area.
“You could have a table of six and three of them might not know each other, but then they would start chatting and interacting with one another, it’s lovely,” he says.
For some, the chance to grab a hot dinner is more than just a chance to socialise but rather a lifeline, particularly for several homeless people who access the service on a weekly basis.
“You can see some people and they are just starving. They sometimes ask for a second dinner because they clear the first one because they are so hungry,” he shared.
The service will take a break for Christmas with no dinner served on December 28 but will return as normal from January 4.