The annual Christmas lunch is back, with festive hampers for every guest and the toy drive to help families put gifts under the tree.
“As a community we need to be there for each other and I think COVID’s taught us that,” co-ordinator Julie Sands said.
“There’s a lot of people that have struggled — whether it’s with cut work hours, home schooling — and just everything is going up, the cost of food and those everyday items.
“I’m more mindful that this year’s going to be harder than previous years.”
In the lead-up to the Christmas lunch at the Uniting Church Hall, Echuca Moama Community Projects is putting together 100 hampers with the help of the community.
Each week the group has called out for something different — in week one it was green and cooler bags, which will be filled by the following weeks’ goodies: toiletries; jams, puddings and tinned fruit; and chocolates and shortbreads — all of which can be dropped off at the Riverine Herald office, 28 Percy St, Echuca.
The hampers will be handed out at the lunch so participants who potentially spend the rest of the day alone can go home, open up a present and enjoy a few sweet treats.
Each hamper will also include a Christmas card made by students at Echuca 208 Primary School.
It’s the eighth year Ms Sands has run the Christmas lunch, and she said the number of people who came along each year was what kept her committed.
“We get almost 100 people every year,” she said.
“Christmas can be a really tough time for some people, especially if they haven’t got family close by.
“I’ll keep doing it as long as people keep coming.”
After a particularly tough two years, Ms Sands is expecting more families to need some extra support this Christmas through the toy drive.
“We usually support about 220 kids a year, so that’s a lot of gifts,” Ms Sands said.
“Anyone who’s got a spare few dollars — we don’t need expensive gifts — even colouring books and pencils, (or) those Santa-sack gifts.”
Toys can be dropped off at: Echuca Moama Uniting Church between 11am and noon Monday to Friday; the Riverine Herald office; Echuca War Memorial Aquatic Centre; Bendigo Bank; Apex; Echuca Twin Rivers School; Moama Village and Meninya St Pharmacies; and Garage Doors R Us.
The toys will be available for collection at the Uniting Church Hall on December 10, 13, 17 and 20 from 10am to 1pm.
“Any families that have struggled through the year are invited to come down and get gifts. Hopefully it takes the burden off a little bit,” Ms Sands said.
She thanked the community for its involvement, including Echuca Workers Club, Echuca Scouts and the Uniting Church, as well as the local businesses donating raffle prizes for the lunch.
If you or someone you know is spending Christmas alone and wants to attend the lunch, reach out to Julie Sands on 0475 707 412 or email julie@emprojects.org
The lunch will be held on December 25 at the Uniting Church Hall on the corner of Hare and Pakenham Sts, Echuca, with doors open at 11am.
This year everyone who attends the lunch will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, to allow the event to run without a limit on numbers.
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