The pandemic created a whole new Christmas tradition for a woman who has been organising Christmas dinners for the lonely and homeless for 38 years.
Margaret Brown, from Sandycove in south Co Dublin, has been organising the festive feast since 1986, after she and her late mother witnessed people at a scout hall eating lumpy soup and cold meat while huddled around a gas-fired heater in a bid to keep warm.
Mrs Brown had, up until Covid-19 hit in 2020, held an annual festive feast in Blackrock Rugby Club, but the pandemic forced her and scores of volunteers to resort to making take-out meals instead.
In the past, high profile names such as rockers U2 have surprised guests at the annual dinner when people gathered at the rugby club.
But now a new tradition is here to stay for those giving of their time to help others.
Mrs Brown explained: “We have to move with the times and the way people feel about celebrating Christmas after the pandemic so we will continue to provide take out meals.
"This has become a new tradition and we will embrace it as we will never stop trying to help the lonely and vulnerable especially at this time of the year.
“It’s a learning curve for all of us but we’re in our fifth year now since Covid-19 changed a lot in the worlds of so many but we will always try to provide a hearty Christmas dinner for as many as we can.”
A mouth-watering Christmas dinner will still be on offer for up to 250 people who live alone, are experiencing financial difficulties and those in the area who are homeless.
The meals will include soup with bread rolls, butter roast turkey & honey baked ham with onion and sage stuffing. along with cranberry jus served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes.
Dinner will be followed by a rich traditional Christmas pudding and brandy sauce, shortcrust mince pies with mulled wine, Christmas cake, and chocolates.
“Thankfully I can still do this, and I will carry on no matter what regardless of what is thrown at me or comes my way for as long as I can. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be doing this for 38 years, but I enjoy every minute of it,” she added.
Mrs Brown’s homeless dinners will also be going to Bentley House Homeless services in Monkstown, members of the Travelling Community, and to three families living in caravans at the west pier in Dún Laoghaire and at caravans located in Ballyogan.
