Lunch By George continued to serve coffee, soup and a nutritious meal daily, and to be a much needed morning drop in centre for the underprivileged and less fortunate of our population. All continue to be welcome, regardless of gender, age, or background. No questions are asked. Our numbers fluctuate because of a number of conditions, but we served nearly 12,000 meals and over 9,000 soups. Our band of nearly thirty food preparers continued to give much volunteer time to Lunch By George. Jenny Hurd, despite a difficult personal year, kept us on course with her always cheerful disposition, and Joan DeGray substituted for her whenever necessary.
Our new venture this year was the decision to seriously serve fresh fruit and vegetables. We received grants to buy fresh produce for the first half of the year, but then our Community Garden under the most able direction and green thumbs of John Poland produced vegetables beyond expectations – some 1900lbs! Our freezer will mean that we can continue to serve fresh vegetables throughout the winter. Thanks also to Sue Kilpatrick, Margaret Milne and Tanis Fairley for working in the garden.
We continued to receive grants from institutions, donations from many individuals, and gifts in kind from various sources, for all of which we are most grateful.