The aroma of hot Christmas meals will return to Court Street this year as Regina Peniston hosts her seventeenth annual Boxing Day dinner.

While Ms Peniston said a recent illness had made her worry that she would be unable to continue her holiday tradition, a wave of support from the community and regular volunteers pushed her to redouble her efforts.

She said: “It means everything to me, and I know it means a whole lot to the people that come out and volunteer, and come out to eat. I know that it means a lot.

“It lets them know that we care, and makes sure they have some Christmas food to eat over the holidays. It makes my heart so full.”

Ms Peniston started to host the free holiday meal after a period in which she was left homeless during the holidays, able to smell the Christmas dinners others prepared for their families.

She said: “The turkey, the ham, the cassava pie … it’s very hard on the street during this period, during Christmas. Mentally, it is very taunting.

“That is why I decided to make sure that they get something to eat. A full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings during the holidays.”

She said that this year she hopes to continue the tradition and feed as many people as possible, but a bout of ill health had meant that organising the event got off to a slow start.

Ms Peniston said: “We have had a few people come forward for volunteering and I have asked people to get items for the day.

“I feel like if I didn’t do it on that day, since I have been doing it for 17 years, what would I be doing on Boxing Day? I would be at home crying and thinking about my people coming to look for me and I am not there.”

Ms Peniston said that MultiStrat Reinsurance, SOS Reinsurance and the Heritage Worship Centre have stepped up to support the event, but she was still in need of items such as takeout containers and Sterno burners along with additional support.

• Anyone who is interested in helping with the dinner is urged to contact Regina Peniston at regina.red12@gmail.com or on 704-0976