A stay in hospital is never easy, especially if you are the one who usually looks after everyone. Who will cook and care for the family? Who will keep the adults company and the children happily occupied? Local author, Elizabeth Cummings was driven to write Dinner on the Doorstep after finding herself in hospital in a new country.

‘With young children and the rest of my family living on the other side of the world, it was a very isolating experience. Then one day another mum from my children’s school whom I had recently met dropped a lamb tagine round and suddenly I didn’t feel so alone!’ Cummings goes on,  ‘The idea that there was a community network of support out there is something that I believe is a reassuring and uplifting thought indeed and it is so important for us as part of our own communities to feel that we can contribute to someone’s welfare; that the smallest gesture of kindness can make a positive difference in another person’s life.’

Cummings notes, ‘You only need to be on social media platforms such as Twitter to see the call to action and the cries for help. We need to use our powers of communication to get the message out there that community support does matter. The simple act of providing a meal for someone in crisis is a basic human gestures of kindness.’ Tracey Stevens, a local Sydney restaurant owner agrees, ‘I see ‘Dinner on the Doorstep’ in action here in Montezuma’s. We are located near the hospital and I have seen many a family come in and share a meal together whist waiting for news. Family illness can be very stressful for carers and a chance to connect with other friends and family helps them cope and keep going for their loved one.’

So Dinner on the Doorstep was born and is a joyful celebration of community support through the eyes of a young child.

WHAT: BOOK LAUNCH OF DINNER ON THE DOORSTEP

WHEN: SATURDAY 14TH OCTOBER, 10.30 – 11.30A.M.

WHERE: THE DELI ON MOVERLY

Dinner on the Doorstep is part of the Elephant In The Room Series, which deals with tough health and well-being issues through the eyes of a young child. The purpose of the series is to help explain difficult health topics to younger children who may be going through tough times within their families as well as to empower them in seeing their role in the whole recovery process.