Find yourself having Masterchef fantasies, but have not yet had the occasion to shine?

Been waiting for that chance to have your friends over for dinner? Leading GLBT youth service, Twenty10, thinks that the time is right to get your friends over for a Dinner At My Place event and help make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged young people.

Dinner At My Place started as a pilot appeal in 2009 and raised over $10,000 that supported the life skills programs at the Twenty10 Drop-in Centre in Newtown. Twenty10 is inviting members of the community to host dinners in their home for their friends and family and use the occasion to talk about the work of Twenty10.

“The hosts of last year’s dinners told us they loved the chance to cook for people that meant so much to them,” explains Twenty10 Managing Director, Rebecca Reynolds, “The hosts then came up with a number of different ways for their guests to donate to Twenty10 the amount they would usually spend on a night out.”

Reynolds has launched the Dinner At My Place appeal for this 2010 year by hosting a dinner at Twenty10 for some of last year’s dinner hosts as well as some special guests. “It’s an honour to welcome people here to Twenty10,” explains Reynolds. “This is a place that holds many memories of joy, sadness and much laughter of the young people we support. It is a place that would not be able to exist without the donations of community members.

“In cooking a meal for my guests tonight,” adds Reynolds, “I wanted to share some of the food I cook in my own home. “Cooking keeps me in touch with those things that keep me hopeful and it reminds me to treasure the good people I have in my life. I really hope people take this chance to host a dinner and express their gratitude for the positive role their friends play in their lives.”

Dinner hosts register their event on a special site hosted by Every Day Hero and can personalise their own page with photos or videos. Twenty10 provides tip sheets on planning your event and fundraising, as well as directions on how to complete things after the dinner.

To register your dinner and get all the information you may need, visit twenty10.org.au/dinner.