Essex Women’s Ariana Dowse and Eva Gray visited the day centre operated by Chelmsford charity Sanctus on Monday to assist with serving lunch to homeless and vulnerable service users.
Dowse and Gray helped in the preparation of a butter chicken curry, a vegetable side dish, rice, and pakoras for the service users supported by Sanctus.
The duo prepared vegetables from scratch and deep-fried the pakoras, before contributing to serving lunch to in excess of 70 service users in the café.
In 2023, Sanctus – who have a support hub and a shop opposite one another on Broomfield Road – supported more than 700 individual service users and served almost 17,000 meals.
The volunteer team also includes Essex’s matchday photographer Ray Lawrence, who supports the charity by supplying fresh vegetables from his own allotment, as well as contributing in the kitchen.
Dowse and Gray visited in the build-up to the Christmas period, one of the most important times of year for Sanctus to carry out its work.
Toni Brockwell, Cafe Manager & Community Fundraising and Events Manager at Sanctus, said: “We’re now in our 13th year, and we purchased our current premises three years ago.
“The cafe is the first point of contact, but we offer a range of services, including NHS appointments, addiction support, and even things like haircuts and showers.
“All these people who come in, as well as our volunteers here, give up their time for free to support the community, and we are very grateful for everyone’s support.”
Eva Gray added: “Getting to know some of the volunteers and seeing the work that local charities are doing on a day-to-day basis is really important.
“We’ve been hearing a lot about the Essex community, and to be able to see that in first-hand action is great.
“From a personal perspective, I’ve not done anything like this before, so it’s been really insightful and interesting.”
Ray Lawrence said: “It’s been great having the guys from Essex here. Places like this are a lifeline for the local community, so it’s an amazing cause.”
Ariana Dowse added: “It’s times like these, at Christmas, when you begin to realise how fortunate you are compared to some others.
“With that in mind, it’s really important to come out into the community, who have all been so welcoming, and give back where you can.”
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