Story and photos by Victor Mujakachi.
Christ Church Pitsmoor hosted its second International Meal on the 3rd of February 2022. This is an event where members of Christ Church Pitsmoor, Burngreave community, volunteers, refugees and people seeking sanctuary get together to cook and share food. It is planned for every 1st Thursday of the month.
The International Meal event was originally conceived by members of Christ Church Pitsmoor in 2007 and paused in March 2020 when the country went into lockdown.
The resumption of the International Meal this year began with cautious anticipation as the organisers had to seek advice from council helpline workers to ensure that all the covid-19 guidelines were followed.
Food preparation was served at 7pm to guests who had arrived earlier and were partaking in hot drinks and chatting.
One guest, Jamal, an Ethiopian national seeking sanctuary and currently supported by ASSIST, was pleasantly surprised to come across Bill Goodman, a native Briton and member of Christ Church who could speak passable Amharic, one of the languages spoken in Ethiopia.
A beaming and very impressed Jamal, who himself speaks little English, delightedly exclaimed, “This man speaks my language!” Bill Goodman and his family lived and worked in Ethiopia for six years.
Should anyone want to volunteer for The International Meal event or make small cash donations to support it, they can contact Nick Edmondson on 0114 272 7756, at Christ Church Pitsmoor, Sheffield, S3 9AQ.
