Jen Sheppeard knows that at Christmas time, the most important community members are those in need.

Jen and her family will be preparing the food on Christmas day for the Lismore Soup Kitchen at the Winsome Hotel in North Lismore.

On Christmas day, lunch will be served at 11.30am and there will be Christmas carols throughout the day – and people are invited to bring along their guitars and join in.

“It’s a special day to be down there,” she said.

“My mum Carole and my 16 year old daughter Hani will be in the kitchen too - and if I have any visitors, I bring them along for the day too.

 “Anyone is welcome to come along to Christmas lunch - not just those in need - also people who are lonely, looking for friendships or just passing by.

“It’s a lovely, open space for people to come and be accepted.”

Jen said her family has been volunteering their time to running the kitchen on Christmas for three years.

“We love doing it,” she said. “Christmas is not about presents - we volunteer our time as a gift to the community.

 “I’m not Christian but I feel the idea of Christmas is caring for people and being a service for those in need and making sure everyone is taken care of thought of and supported.”

On Christmas day, Jen usually serves up about 200 meals to the Winsome Hotel’s residents, as well as people travelling through the area who may not have anywhere to go and have a meal.

“We serve a local ham which has been donated, as well as Red Rooster chickens, fresh fruits and salad ingredients – all donated by local people,” she said.

“And our speciality is the potato bake – we fill up two commercial ovens with it and everyone loves it.

“This year, we are also going to serve the food on crockery, not plastic – so we are serving the environment as well as people’s needs.

“Everyone is seated and served and it’s beautiful - a great operation to be part of.”

Every now and then, Jen and her family take a break from preparing food and join in singing the Christmas carols.

This year, there are about seven volunteers serving in the kitchen, but more help may be needed.

“Others can come on board and help out volunteering – not just at Christmas time,” Jen said. 

The Winsome and Lismore Soup Kitchen is a not for profit organisation operated by volunteers and relies on donations to keep going.

It began operating in 2009 after the Winsome Hotel was bought by the Lismore Soup Kitchen in 2009 and renamed The Winsome. 

Now the Winsome Café serves meals to people doing it tough and provides low cost transitional accommodation for men seeking pathways out of homelessness.

“We also have a visiting dentist and community services for people to access here – which is good for people who find it hard to get into town,” Jen said.

“We need 500 people to donate regularly to the Winsome to support the ongoing services.”

If you would like to volunteer, or donate to the Winsome and Lismore Soup Kitchen, visit the website https://www.winsome.org.au/donate-today.html