Could you take on the challenge of cooking meals for up to 40 people and all for under £1 a head? Could you help an organisation apply for charitable status? Or are you keen on chess, pool or table tennis or simply like to meet people and listen to their stories?

Open Door, a drop-in session for refugees and asylum-seekers and run entirely by volunteers, is looking for people with such talents.

The small independent project is open on Thursdays at East Oxford Community Centre, in Princes Street, just off the Cowley Road. It offers advice and support in a low-key setting.

Each week Open Door welcomes between 35 and 40 displaced people who are recent arrivals to the Oxford area from all over the world. They range in age between 16 and 60.

It offers a free lunch, cooked by volunteers, who include some of the refugees, in the community centre kitchen. The lunch includes halal and vegetarian choices, along with salad and fruit.

Vital information for the refugees is provided, from education, employment and training, to health and housing.

Open Door is affiliated to the Community English School nearby and with other projects, such as the women's sewing group BK-Luwo, providing help for refugees and asylum-seekers.

One volunteer, David, explained why he helps out: "The main reason was that I had experienced discrimination myself."

Games and pastimes help to keep the refugees occupied and volunteer Melanie said: "It's great fun and a good laugh. And I'm actually improving my table tennis skills at the same time."

While another, Judith, said: "It's good to have some practical involvement, to contribute something that is immediately worthwhile, in an area that I'm interested in. And it's good fun!"

Open Door's funding comes from local charities, statutory bodies and individual donations, and includes a recently awarded grant from Oxford City Council.

If you feel you would like to get involved, by helping out at the community centre on Thursdays, or in any other way, contact Jo Garcia on 01865 862715 or email jo.garcia@ntlworld.com; or Mark Greenaway on 01865 552502; or just drop in at East Oxford Community Centre on a Thursday between 11am and 3pm.

To contribute to this column, contact Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action by email at voluntaryvoice@ocva.org.uk