A Salford university student is aiming to provide 1,000 free Christmas dinners for people who are isolated or struggling financially in Greater Manchester this Christmas.
Natalie Lek (left), who studies corporate law, started ‘The Community Christmas Dinner’ scheme in 2013 by offering a free Christmas dinner to anyone who couldn’t afford one in a post on Facebook.
The mum of five said: “This started off as one single Facebook post. This was never meant to be this big.”
The demand for the meals as well as the interest in volunteering has grown year by year. Now Natalie is looking to make 500 Christmas dinners on Christmas Day and another 500 for two sit down meals in the community a week before Christmas.
Natalie added: “The last time I did it there were about 480 dinners on Christmas Day so I had to cut the referral time off at dinner time on Christmas Eve, purely because we would have kept going.”
The Community Christmas Dinner led to Natalie receiving the 2015 Point of Light award from Prime minister at the time – David Cameron. The award recognises volunteers who change their community and inspires others.
“Its managing to reach people on a genuine level and engage them to something that they can relate to, and that they can see is an issue and what to be part of.”
Natalie, who will be going into her penultimate year of study in September, started the scheme due to her love for cooking, Christmas and desire to put this to use to help vulnerable people.
“There is no requirement to be of any particular ethnicity or religious belief. As long as you say I need a Christmas dinner, then you’ll have a Christmas dinner.
“Young and old, no specific age range, its for everybody.”
You can donate to the Community Christmas Dinner by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/Thecommunitychristmasdinner
To hear an extended interview with Natalie where she talks more about the scheme, as well as the subject of community in Manchester click on the link below.
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