Big turnout for city’s festive lunch
Eight glazed hams and more than 40 kilograms of hot chicken were prepared for the Christmas Day lunch served at a Hamilton church.
It’s an annual feast that attracts the city’s less fortunate but this year it wasn’t just the homeless who turned out.
An elderly man left alone while his family holidayed overseas, and a mother and her children whose house was ransacked, were among the guests at the Hamilton Central Baptist Church on Monday.
An estimated 230 guests were expected to dine – the largest turnout the church has seen since it began hosting the event a decade ago.
‘‘The last couple of lunches were well under 200 and the numbers this year are huge,’’ Hamilton Baptist Church pastor Brian Winslade said.
The church and the Salvation Army in Hamilton take turns to host the lunch on alternate years.
This year the church aimed to turn it into a day where people could socialise.
‘‘We’ve had a mixture of homeless and lonely people show interest this year,’’ Winslade said.
‘‘For a lot of people, particularly those on their own, Christmas is an awful day when they don’t have family they can spend time with.
‘‘We wanted to do more of a day thing, where people could come along to the morning service and then have lunch.’’
Tickets were sold for $5 and lunch included a three-course meal with all the trimmings.
Volunteers worked to make lunch ‘‘more than a soup kitchen meal’’, he said.
Kitchen staff worked overtime, preparing eight glazed hams and more than 40kgs of chicken.
The meal began with a red and green guacamole dip and chips, followed by glazed ham, hot chicken, potatoes and peas. And for dessert, a chocolate brownie with berry coulis.
Heist, a barbershop quartet, was set to perform during the lunch service followed by a harmony of Christmas carols.
Mike and his partner Apples were among those who turned out for lunch before 1pm on Monday.
The pair are living rough on Hamilton’s streets after moving from Auckland three months ago.
They were most looking forward to a hot meal, but weren’t fussy when it came to what was on the menu.
Sharing a meal with others and enjoying the positive buzz in the atmosphere was the most important part of the day, Winslade said.
Several guests were coming for the company this year, he said.
‘‘We’re seeing those that are lonely and those that are just alone,’’ Winslade said.
‘‘When you look at the theological grid, this is the sort of thing Jesus would do – he fed the crowds.’’