Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services and not-for-profit organisation joiningthedots are bringing the Welcome Dinner Project to Bendigo, launching the initiative with a community event this Friday night to coincide with Refugee Week.

The Welcome Dinner Project aims to bring established Australian residents and newly arrived people together over shared dinners, hosted in-home by a community member.

This Friday’s event will follow a similar format on a larger scale, with more than 100 people expected to attend.

“The aim of the whole thing is really to start connections between people who wouldn’t ordinarily be thrown together and who are really open to making friends,” LCMS community development worker Diantha Vess said.

Each attendee is asked to bring a plate of food traditional to their culture, which they will talk about and share with others at their table.

There will also be opportunities throughout the night to address the entire room and socialise with others.

“By the end of the night you’ll feel like you’ve made a new family,” Ms Vess said.

There were more than 1000 people living in Bendigo who had arrived as a refugee, she said, and the Afghan community was one of the fastest-growing in the city.

Ms Vess said the smaller in-home dinners would be organised once enough established and newer residents had registered their interest.

She said the dinners would have equal numbers of newly arrived and established residents and would be guided by facilitators, who would help break the ice and ensure the conversation remained positive and inclusive.

The dinner will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral Hall on Friday at 6pm.

All are welcome to the free event, but bookings are required.

To register visit the event website.

More information can be found by calling LCMS on 5441 4288 or visiting the joiningthedots website.