22.08.2014
The Dining Room Project Marks Six Months in Dun Laoghaire
Christ Church Dun Laoghaire’s outreach project, the Dining Room, is six months old this weekend (Sunday August 24). Volunteers at the Dining Room, which is supported by a broad range of churches in the area, are putting the Gospel into action providing hot lunches for homeless people, the elderly and those experiencing food poverty and loneliness. Volunteers provide more than just food though, they also offer a friendly face, someone to talk to and they treat all who come through the door with respect.
The Dining Room first opened on February 24 and since then the numbers coming for lunch between 12.00 noon and 2.00 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays have grown steadily. About 50 volunteers from all walks of life help to run the venture, cooking the food, serving it and cleaning up afterwards. As much as possible the chefs use fresh ingredients to create the nutritious food. The meals are free to all but those who can, give a donation.
The initiative is the brainchild of the Vicar of Christ Church, Dun Laoghaire, the Revd Ása Björk Ólafsdóttir. The need for something like the Dining Room struck her almost as soon as she arrived in Dun Laoghaire in January 2013.
“I started to see the homeless people. The word got out that there was a new Vicar and people started to come looking for food – I always feed people if they are hungry,” she explains. “Then I spoke to someone who had started a bus which came to Dun Laoghaire on Monday evenings bringing soup and sandwiches. I went along and started bringing pasta bolognaise but I still knew I had to do something more.”
There is a homeless shelter in Dun Laoghaire where clients receive food in morning and evenings but they must leave after breakfast. She began to think about opening a drop in centre where they could provide a hot meal at lunchtime for people but also company and simple human contact. She hopes that those suffering from addiction might benefit from having full stomachs in the middle of the day.
Having looked into the idea and visited other soup kitchens, Ása began to search for premises in her own area. She kept coming up against hurdles and eventually asked Christ Church’s Select Vestry if she could use the Church Hall at lunchtimes when it was not booked for other activities. They readily agreed so three lunchtimes a week it is transformed into a bright cheery place for people to come and dine. They are feeding up to 40 people each lunchtime.
Ása says she always wears her clerical collar when in the Dining Room because she wants people to know that they are in a Christian environment. “I don’t discuss religion with people unless they start the conversation and even then I am really careful,” she explains. “God comes to us where we are. This is about putting the Gospel into practice.”
They also take donations of second hand clothes and underwear which clients can take away to wear themselves. In the winter they distribute blankets. Anyone who needs a hot lunch can drop in and all are welcomed. People don’t line up for their food. They take a seat and their meal is brought to them by a volunteer. There is a bowl of fruit on the table and biscuits or something sweet will follow the meal.
Two public meetings resulted in about 50 people volunteering their time to the project and Ása says they get a lot out of working in the Dining Room. Many of the volunteers have been looking for a way to help their community. Some are unemployed, others are in college and some are people who originally came to the Dining Room as clients.
The food served comes from a number of sources. Most is bought from money raised or donated to the Dining Room. Some is donated by a local supermarket. Recently someone who had heard of the project came and offered a regular consignment of chicken fillets and a freezer to put them in.
Ása believes the next stage is to find premises where the Dining Room can be open six days a week for several hours at a time. She hopes to be able to provide shower and laundry facilities as well as the possibility of having an occupational therapist and courses available.
“People need a purpose in life. They need to feel wanted and needed. So many of the people who come to the Dining Room say they haven’t been addressed by their Christian name for years because they are just a number,” the Vicar says. “Many say that when they wake up on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings they know they have somewhere to be and something to do and feel more positive.”
People can help the Dining Room by contributing funds or non perishable food. Groups may decide to come together to collect a batch of items to donate as one school did before the summer holidays. They also need clothes, underwear and prayers. To offer support and to find out how to help email Ása at
rector.asa.bjork@gmail.com. There is also a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/thediningroomdunlaoghaire or anyone is welcome to drop in.
Photos:
Top – The Revd Ása Björk Ólafsdóttir and volunteer Mena Lyons in the Dining Room.
Bottom – John O’Reilly, Grainne Putney, Kathy Grace and Violet Cathcart on duty in the kitchen for the Dining Room.