Community Christmas Lunch - Victor Harbor 25 December 2019

The SAcommunity team had the great pleasure of speaking with Karly Cousins who recognised an increasing crisis in her local community with homelessness and isolation amongst older adults in Victor Harbor. Karly's background is in social work and aged care therefore at this time of year, she was only well aware that some people have no-where to go on Christmas and no support. 

"I saw there was a need, and that someone had to do something and realised it needed to be me. I knew if we could highlight the problems across the Fleurieu that Victor Harbor was having then people would come on board in our community to help and they have."

 

Karly has teamed up with Father Jesse Poole from St Augustines Anglican Church to host a Community Christmas Lunch, building on their successful lunch last year which catered for 100 people who would otherwise be alone on Christmas. 

It's a real community event, put together with participation from people in the whole Fleurieu to make it happen, friends and family, friends of friends. People are making salads and bringing them, one friend make 50 pavlovas last year, everybody is contributing, Woolworths donated $600 for groceries which was great."   

"It's not just the food, it's the atmosphere, people to talk to, last year we even had a musician play and a sing-a-long with people from all over, people who are homeless, aged, lonely, families who might be struggling and together we created a fantastic day."
 

This is not Karly's only project to address increasing number of people experiencing homelessness across the Fleurieu this year, hosting a 'Sleep Out' for the homeless event earlier in March, to raise funds and awareness and assist vulnerable people in their community.

Contact Karly on 0433 318 050 for more information, if you would like to attend or if you can contribute.

Find Christmas Meals available across South Australia >>here.