Community lunches
Sadly with the closure of the Chiswick Day Centre at the end of October 2011 these Community Lunches have come to an end:
Jane Trigle (Co-ordinator) writes: "You have all contributed to the success of these lunches over the last 17 years. I, my predecessors, and the Committee are extremely grateful for your generosity with your time and provision of ingredients for our meals. It has been a total group effort - you have been a fabulous team.
Our clients will be provided with details of other centres that offer food during the week and at weekends - of which there are quite a few- which we hope will ease the disappointment."
History
Many of St Michael's congregation helped provide lunches on a Saturday at the Chiswick Day Care Centre (below right). These lunches were held every other week, organised by the various churches in Chiswick, and St Michael’s was called upon two or three times a year.
Jane Trigle writes: For £1 we provided hot tea and coffee, a main meal with vegetables, and pudding. Those who came to lunch were often lonely, on small fixed incomes or had other needs. Many came regularly, so there was a great sense of companionship.
We had a fabulous team of volunteers who
helped out in various ways
cooking a main course or a pudding and deliver it to the Day Centre on the day (right) - peeling and preparing 15kgs of potatoes for each lunch
On the day we had help:
- reheating the main courses, mashing the spuds, cooking the vegetables and making custard for the puddings
- preparing the rooms and laying the tables (right)
- serving teas and coffees
- serving the meals
- waitressing duty
- washing up
- help to clear up afterwards and put everything back as we found it
Jane said: "No two Saturdays were ever the same and we all gained a tremendous amount from our time spent at the Centre. It is very important for St Michael’s to be 
involved with outreach work in our community, and providing hot meals was a very satisfying way of sharing Christian fellowship - feeding the hungry being one of the seven acts of mercy.
We campaigned energetically to keep the Centre open in the face of Council cuts but in the end we were unsuccessful. It was with great sadness that we relinquished this ministry and our contact with our clients, many of whom we had got to know well. We are exploring other local projects, just beginning, with which to get involved.