For the third year running, Caritas is organising a Christmas Day lunch for those who would otherwise be spending this special holiday alone.

Over 180 people have confirmed their attendance to this year's Caritas Christmas lunch, and thus far around 75 volunteers have also signed up. Caritas Director Leonid McKay said that the number of volunteers keeps increasing year on year. "I spoke with many volunteers from last year's event, many of them didn't eat anything but said that it was their best Christmas."

Originally, back in 2015 Caritas came up with the idea to provide Christmas Day lunch for the homeless and drug users, however the idea expanded as when it was announced, Caritas noticed that many people suffering from loneliness who would have been spending the holiday alone had called in.

"Loneliness, as a social policy issue, is a very lonely issue in itself. We discussed the minimum wage, private rent issues, homelessness, cannabis, poverty... but we did not discuss loneliness. We are not giving enough importance to this issue," McKay said.

He spoke of the need to discuss the issue more at national level.

The lunch has a number of aims, McKay said, which include trying to provide a family atmosphere for those attending, to provide lunch, and to make this issue of loneliness more visible. "We also use this as an opportunity for outreach, where we will make an effort to reach out to those attending throughout the year, and not just say thanks for coming, see you next December."

Asked what he believes are the main key factors driving the loneliness issue, McKay spoke from a sociological perspective. "There are different processes. Firstly, there is the neo-liberal economy which is focused around individuals rather than the community or society. This is not a local issue, but is rather international. Secondly, there is an ageing population. Thirdly there is the transformation in the family structure. We no longer speak about the community family, or the extended family, but rather about the small nuclear family."

"Another important issue, as Anthony Giddens - one of the contemporary modern sociologists - states, is that the information technology revolution also brings about this lack of social fabric. So the economy, demographics, the social transformation of the family and the information technology revolution, in general brings about what Zygmunt Bauman (a sociologist) called a liquid modernity."

McKay, quoting Bauman, said that while in the past there were stronger bonds in neighbourhoods, in the workplace, with friends and family etc. but now relationships are now more liquid, where bonds are more brittle.

McKay made a distinction between loneliness and being alone, stating that one could suffer from loneliness even when in a crowd of people.

The majority of people who come to Caritas' Christmas lunch are 65+, he said, however there are people aged in their 40s and some younger. "Loneliness is not just an elderly issue."

"Maltese society still cherishes spending Christmas with family. So It's one thing being alone throughout the year when people are at work, but it is much harder on a person who feels lonely when they know their next door neighbour is with their family for Christmas. For persons who feel lonely, Christmas is that much worse. This is what led to our decision for the Christmas lunch to be extended to include persons who would otherwise be spending the holiday alone."

Asked about Caritas work when it comes to helping tackle loneliness, he highlighted that Caritas has Dar Papa Frangisku, and does not just to offer emergency shelter, but offers a free lunch for persons who are poor, homeless and lonely. He said there are people who go every day and it is as though they found their family there. "But again it caters for a small catchment area not for all those in Malta who feel alone. So we are trying to invest in a group of volunteers - and this will be one of our 2018 projects- who will reach out to the persons who attend this lunch throughout the year."

He also mentioned that Caritas has a counselling and social work unit.

Again stressing that loneliness is not just an elderly issue, he mentioned, for example, that there are some people who would be going through a separation who might end up going through a period of loneliness.

In addition, another category prone to loneliness are those who have mental health issues, he said.

He spoke of the need to invest in community development and community projects, as this could be one way of tackling the issue. "It would be a good idea to support volunteers at Parish and community level, where there could be more events in the community for example. There is LEAP which tackles these issues and government is investing in it, but there is also another sector of volunteers which we don't really talk about, and those are Parish volunteers who would have spent years working in the community. It is not easy to fight loneliness, but I think that community development projects are key."

The first year of the Caritas Christmas lunch saw the food prepared in the Caritas rehab centres. "We served soup, baked pasta and a desert. From the second year to now, chefs from Alf Mizzi and Sons on a voluntary basis provided and cooked the food. We would then warm up the food and serve it. I want to thank them for providing the food for the second year in a row." He also thanked the St Peter's Foundation who are providing financial assistance.

This year, the venue will be in the heart of the Curia. "I must thank the Archbishop for allowing us to use this venue. Last year we used the internal courtyard and this year we have the main corridors."

He stressed that there is a no camera policy as it would ruin the family atmosphere of the event Caritas is trying to create. Those interested in attending are invited to call 25906600