Santa visits Christmas dinner at Riversyde 83

Volunteers at the 5th annual Community Christmas Day Dinner in Simcoe included Sherry Shrubb and Susan Van Der Molen.

Chris Abbott

Editor

On Christmas Day, everyone should enjoy being seated around a table with family - or friends - having a festive meal together.

More than 150 people experienced that joy on Dec. 25 at the 5th annual Community Christmas Day Dinner in Simcoe, hosted by Church Out Serving at Riversyde 83.

Participants enjoyed a full-on traditional Christmas Dinner, complete with turkey, ham and all the trimmings. Food was prepared by volunteers – in total, there were about 40 volunteers either cooking, serving food, or clearing and cleaning tables.

“It’s a great dinner,” said Church Out Serving’s Eric Haverkamp, who said the opening grace. “It’s a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings and a lovely dessert. We try to make it a festive atmosphere… and the jolly old soul from the North Pole pops in. I think it’s a very festive event that will bring lots of cheer and laughter into peoples’ day.”

Ed Sanchuk from OPP West Region carried on his Norfolk giving tradition with his family on Christmas Day, dropping off Ferrero Canada products in bags donated by Real Canadian Superstore in Simcoe.

“Basically my dad, my son and my daughter are here, we just dropped off a bunch of bags here, and we’re going to the women’s shelter next,” said Sanchuk, “and a couple other places. Ferrero Canada donates all these goodies, and the Superstore donate all the bags, then my mom and dad and sister-in-law pack it all up, and on Christmas morning we drop stuff off… I think over 300 today.”

The idea of the Community Christmas Day Dinner, said Haverkamp, is to “give everybody a place to go on Christmas so they can enjoy the spirit of the season, and all the love, joy, peace and hope that abounds at Christmas time.”

The number of participants has been rising. Two years ago, about 120 attended, and last year, numbers rose to about 140. This year about 175 registered, approaching full capacity at Riversyde 83.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” said Haverkamp. “We really, really love seeing all the people out that are just looking for a place to be on Christmas Day.”

The Christmas Day Dinner is an extension of the hearty homestyle community meal program that Church Out Serving offers on Mondays and Fridays, every week, all year long to those with food insecurity.