Page 31 of Christmas Wishes at Pudding Hall
‘Get some food for the girl and then yourself and take a seat,’ a man said, wearing a red paper crown, with a name tag that read ‘Dennis’.
They walked to the bain-marie and Christa looked inside the glass windows, the heat welcome as she peered at the choices.
‘What can I get you, love?’ said a woman who was wearing a Santa hat and a slash of orange lipstick.
‘Christa?’ She heard her name and she returned back to the present.
‘Yes, sorry,’ she said to Zane who was in front of her, trying to get her attention.
‘Petey is ready for you to jump in whenever you’re ready,’ he said.
‘Of course,’ she said and she rushed to Petey’s side.
‘It’s a Monday, so we usually get around one-fifty or so. It’s cold so they might be more likely to come tonight, especially if they hear about the soup you made,’ said Petey kindly. ‘It’s not only rough sleepers. It’s parents struggling to feed their kids for the week, or pensioners who can’t make ends meet. We’ll package them up with some food boxes also.’ He pointed to the shopping bags already tied up, filled with pantry items that she could see through the plastic.
Christa felt silly not realising how many people they helped and she wished she had made more but they seemed to have enough food judging by the number of pots and containers heading out the door.
Soon the van was loaded up and Christa was offered the passenger seat next to Zane while the other volunteers sat inside the van.
Zane turned to Christa. ‘You warm enough?’
‘I hope so,’ she said. She had on her pink puffa jacket, thermals, her beanie and gloves and boots with warm socks.
‘Okay then.’ Zane started the van. ‘You ready to help some people?’
‘Absolutely,’ said Christa and she felt that for the first time, she was doing what she was meant to do in life.
Italian Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
2 each of onions and carrots, chopped
4 sticks celery, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sugar
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 bay leaves
few sprigs thyme
3 courgettes, chopped
400g/14oz can butter beans, drained
400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
1.2 litres/40½fl oz vegetable stock
100g/3½oz Parmesan or vegetarian equivalent, grated
140g/5oz small pasta shapes
