The Auckland City Mission is putting on a Christmas feast for around 2000 people today.
Around 2000 people will attend this year's event. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen
The Spark Arena in downtown Auckland hosted this year's event, which is held every year for people who aren't able to put on a Christmas meal themselves, or those who would otherwise be alone on Christmas day.
Professional chef Jason Horwood had the unenviable task of cooking for 2000 people.
"We cook approximately 300, 400kgs of chicken, about the same of ham, a couple of hundred kilos of potato and kumara. We've also got some nice salads and jelly and that sort of thing," he said.
"I've also made, I think, about 120 litres of gravy so there's a lot going on. But it's a going to be a good feed."
Each table is lovingly set with Christmas crackers, balloons, drinks and lollies, while local doctors and nurses volunteered to put on the entertainment for the day; some playing music others telling jokes.
Hundreds of kilos of meat and vegetables were cooked for the Auckland City Mission Christmas meal. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen
About 600 people volunteered behind-the-scenes to make the event possible.
City Missioner Chris Farrelly said it was a very mixed group who come for a meal.
"There's people who are alone, people who have experienced some major trauma in their life - often it's violence. We have people who have just lost a loved one and this will be their first Christmas alone.
"There are people who have just been released from prison and are trying to reconnect. There's also people who've been expelled from Australia and we're welcoming them home.
"There are old people, young people, people of every ethnicity, of every religion. What happens here is, once people come through these doors, those differences somewhat evaporate and we are just one community sharing something very special together."
