More than 125 people took their lunch “al fresco” Wednesday at the 3rd Annual Long Lunch on the pier at Cobourg Harbour.
The 25 local businesses providing lunch included wineries and craft breweries, the Cat and the Fiddle pub, caterers Delectable Edibles and restaurants like Oasis and the El Camino and Ste. Anne’s Spa.
“Lunch was absolutely fabulous, I had a burger from St. Anne’s that was brilliant, I put goat cheese on it,” Pete, a local customer, said.
For the past three years, caterer Lee Covert has been holding a charity luncheon on the pier at Cobourg Harbour. Participants can choose from a smorgasbord of items from local food vendors and restaurants, then sit down together at long tables.
The lunch is held in support of local charities. Previous events raised money for the Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre but this year, the funds went to Transition House, a homeless shelter in Cobourg. Transition House is a six-bedroom, 24-bed shelter that assists single men and women, couples and families. It is the only shelter in Northumberland County.
Covert chose to donate to the shelter because last year he found himself out of work. He says he got support from his family but it caused him concern that others might not be so lucky to have such a safety net.
“I lost my employment last year and I didn’t realize how it would affect your whole world and I think a lot of people, until you’re in that situation, you don’t realize that,” Covert said.
“Our funding has been cut somewhat, over the last year or so, so these events are very important to us to service the individuals who come into Transition House,” Diane Keast, executive director of Transition House, said.
In the past, each “Long Lunch” has raised over $10, 000 for local charities.