Grantham Passage Christmas 2023
Another busy year for Passage and we have been delighted to have been able to provide meals for so many families and clients that we welcomed around the Christmas period.
With the squeeze on the cost of living, plus working alongside other agencies and local Government, it meant that we have been the busiest ever for our sit-down Christmas Day meal. The number of families that we supported was also up almost 66% from last year.
Each year we arrange a food hamper, gifts and treats for any family that approaches us for support or is referred from a local agency or organisation. This year 22 families were provided for, totalling 118 people (adults and children). To ensure that they get a great Christmas our hampers contain all that is needed for Christmas dinner, desserts, treats, suitable drinks and if there are children in the house a tailored present to match age and gender. All of these are delivered on December 23rd to make sure that everything can be prepared and ready for the big day.
Our Christmas Day meal is a highlight of the Passage year. For 2023 we welcomed 70 clients on the day and everyone was provided with a full roast turkey dinner and all the trimmings, plus a present pack of items and sweets as well as a free tombola for more treats and chocolate. All of this was washed down with unlimited soft drinks and finished with chocolate gateaux or cheesecake. For those that wanted it we also provided dinners to take away for the following day to enjoy again!
It's also important to remember those that cannot join us for Christmas so we adorned our tree with the names of those that we have lost over the years. It's poignant for so many of our clients as they have lost friends over the years so we take a moment to remember them.
The Passage says a huge thank you to Chris Thomas and Esther Maddison for their weeks and weeks of organising, collecting, sorting, packing, and storing in readiness for the big day. It just wouldn't have gone ahead without their love, care, and attention (and a lot of spreadsheets!) so please take a huge amount of thanks for your hard work and dedication.
A huge thank you also to all our volunteers who have been involved in the preparation of our meal. We have so many of you amazing people who gave up your time and helped wrap presents, prepare vegetables, serve on the day, deliver hampers, and all the other 1,000 things that you contributed. Thank you and we hope you enjoyed your time with us.
We couldn't have provided what we did without the support of so many individuals, companies, groups and organisations that gave so much to us. We had donations, financial support, gifts, food and time from so many places it was almost overwhelming. Please visit our thank you page to see all the names.
Finally thanks go to our clients that attended the meal on Christmas Day and how they made the day fun, enjoyable and such a great atmosphere. We love providing the meal on Christmas Day and we hope that you enjoyed it.