Āraiteuru Marae will host the first Pātaka Ora community meal of the year on Monday.
Marae manager and Pātaka Ora committee chairwoman Tania Williams said the event’s return was highly anticipated and "everyone is invited".
The event had evolved from skills workshops following Covid-19 lockdowns and became an opportunity to network, recycle and address food wastage through shared kai, Ms Williams said.
"It was just an idea of enhancing people’s lives through using food as that vehicle to create a space where we can come together," she said.
"We have a lot of different people that feed in donations, but also it’s run on volunteers."
Ms Williams said the meals also featured a "talking library" — a person or organisation sharing a story or lesson alongside the meal.
Pātaka Ora had been supported in various ways by organisations such as the Dunedin City Council, University of Otago and Fulton Hogan.
Attendance ranged from 50 to 200 people, and volunteers, food donations or speakers were always welcome, she said.
"I just love the whanaungatanga: the connection that we’ve been able to make for people I’ve witnessed over the years," she said.
"Many people that would have fallen through the gaps of society, that live alone, you can see maybe the majority of their life, they haven’t been able to fit into society.
"Yet they come to Pātaka Ora and everybody’s welcomed."
The event begins at 12pm on Monday; volunteers from 9.30am.
Meals are held every two weeks, alternating lunch and dinner.
