NSW: Shelters bring Christmas cheer to the homeless and lonely

AAP General News (Australia)
12-25-1999
NSW: Shelters bring Christmas cheer to the homeless and lonely

SYDNEY, Dec 25 AAP - Welfare groups and soup kitchens baked hundreds of turkeys today
in a bid to restore Christmas cheer to the homeless and the lonely.

In the spirit of giving and sharing, thousands of Christmas meals were dished out today
by volunteers throughout the city.

The Exodus Foundation in Ashfield and the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross each served 3,000 meals.

Mobile cool rooms were brought into the Exodus Foundation, to store 150 hams, 500 chickens
and 200 dozen eggs for its 14th annual Christmas lunch.

Volunteers began decorating the room at 6am today.

Foundation chairman Reverend Bill Crews said for many Australians, Christmas was a lonely time.

"For many Australians, Christmas is not what it is heralded to be. Rather than a time
of sharing and giving, it is a lonely and sad time for many," he said.

"(The meals are) really critical because so many people in today's society have no-one."

He said many people who came for the Christmas lunch were haunted by past Christmas
celebrations because they had recently divorced and the children were now spending yuletide
with their partner.

"We find people who bomb themselves out on Christmas day, they take a whole lot of
valium because it's just too painful," he told AAP.

The Wayside Chapel held its 36th annual Christmas lunch today, also serving 3,000 meals.

The Chapel's Reverend Ray Richmond said giving and sharing is the magic of Christmas.

"It's a very important grounding of the spiritual message of Christmas," he said.

At the Wayside Chapel, Santa arrived on a red fire engine with 30 elves and distributed
Christmas presents to the elderly, homeless, street kids and children, Rev Richmond said.

Clowns entertained the children and all participated in the macarena dance.

AAP sal/cjh

KEYWORD: XMAS MEALS

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.