Over 500 sit-down dinners and 5,000 delivered meals - charity marks 101 years feeding those in need at Christmas

"We serve an average of around 500 meals but because there are no reservations or tickets that number could grow,"

"The event is for anyone in need, be they homeless individuals, low‑income families, the elderly, or anyone who would benefit from support and company."

"We have more than 200 volunteers here and a lot of them are people who maybe live in the country but work in Dublin and live on their own, and they come here just to be with other people, so a lot of needs that the guests have the volunteers have as well. It's a shared experience of community,"

"We get the turkey and ham prepared for us by a company in Monaghan, and our job on the day is to make sure it's heated up to the proper temperature, and we have two teams of six servers bringing it out to the tables,"

An annual Knights of St Columbanus Christmas event, held for 101 years, provided a hot three-course sit-down meal and entertainment, with first arrivals at 11am. The event served about 500 sit-down guests and prepared over 5,000 takeaway meals collected by charities for wider Dublin distribution. The menu included cream of vegetable soup, stuffed turkey with glazed ham, seasonal vegetables, Christmas pudding and homemade vanilla custard. More than 200 volunteers took part, many commuting from the country and seeking companionship. Planning starts in September, duties are assigned in December, and kitchen operations ensure food is properly heated and served.

Read at Irish Independent