Pasta Cafe will celebrate its 21st year of feeding Queenstowners when it reopens at St Margaret’s Presbyterian Church tonight.
The cafe provides anyone in the Basin community with a free hot meal, home-baked treats and a chance to meet and greet each Friday night during August.
Live music will also be on offer, which is part of Queenstown council’s Winterdaze programme.
Started more than two decades ago out of concern for seasonal skifield workers, who’d often arrive in the resort lonely before the snow did, Pasta Cafe’s doors are open to all — visitors, residents, people sleeping in cars or mansions, church lead pastor Ian Guy says.
‘‘Times are hard … and this is one opportunity to take a bit of pressure off your weekly budget for a few weeks.
‘‘But it’s not just about the food, it’s a place for people to meet and [experience] community.
‘‘For people to come together, connect and make new friends.’’
Food is donated by the church, several local businesses and organisations, KiwiHarvest, and members of the community.
Last year, the cafe served more than 600 free meals over the four nights it was open, and Guy expects to surpass that figure this year as the cost of living crisis bites harder.
‘‘KiwiHarvest has been really helpful in getting us what they can, but this year sadly their pickings are a little slim.
‘‘Maybe because of harder times and less [food] wastage.’’
Pasta Cafe’s free to attend — doors open at 6pm.
