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Charity park lunch draws big numbers

Record crowds at yesterday's Mission Australia Christmas Lunch in the Park were a reminder of the high number of people doing it tough.

Many, like Daniel Boopalan and his young family, of East Perth, attended the charity event - at Wellington Square in the city - for the first time.

"I am not working at the moment so I can't really enjoy Christmas," he said. "I don't have any money to buy food and presents so we all came here."

Mr Boopalan, wife Irene, three young children Anderson, Lara and Jackson and his cousin Maneri Siva all enjoyed the day.

Mission Australia president Amanda Hunt said this rang true for too many families this festive season.

"We get people from all walks of life," she said.

"A lot of people have homes but because rental affordability is at an all-time high, they can't afford good meals. Christmas for them isn't a time to celebrate but a difficult time."

The lunch, in its 39th year, attracted 2047 people.

"There are people here today who said they would never see themselves here," Ms Hunt said.

Participants enjoyed entertainment from live artists including the Spirit of the Streets Choir.

Choir member Jean Goodchild said it was an extremely rewarding experience singing at the Christmas lunch. "It feels so good to be singing - some of those people have nobody even to say hello to them," she said.

About 500 volunteers pitched in to dish out thousands of meals and presents and entertain the big crowd.

Nursing student Danni Dean, 26, volunteered for the first time at the Christmas lunch.