The tables were full, and the waiting list kept growing as the Altona Senior Centre committee served up another one of their waffle breakfasts.
The monthly event acts as a fundraiser for the building and additional expenses. Last week’s breakfast drew about 100 people.
Volunteer Marge Peters monitors the row of busy waffle irons with a smile
“Our record is 120, but that’s still a great number. We ran out of the white sauce, so I guess everybody really enjoyed it,” says planning committee member Ron Falk “The committee does all the food preparations. The sauce is homemade and safe for diabetics. And the fruit we use is all locally grown.”
The waffle breakfast runs throughout the year and draws diners of all ages.
“This is a substantial fundraiser for us,” Falk says. “Everybody enjoys it. You can see it by their enthusiasm. And at just $10 a plate, it’s a pretty good deal.”
Falk says hosting the event is definitely a team effort.
“There are so many helping hands here. The seniors in this community are really involved, not only in this organization, but in so many others, as well. That is just fantastic for such a small community. The people here just rally when there is a need.”
Visitors to the community often attend as well. Last week’s event drew a group from Edmonton.
Meanwhile, the senior centre has a few projects on the go this summer.
“We just finished redoing the roof. We had so much help from Co-op, which donated the shingles. That was really great,” says Falk. “Now we are looking at redoing the parking lot. We want to have better drainage on it so LET Construction is going to do that for us.”
The Altona Senior Centre is a non-profit organization, so any bills or projects rely on donations, facility rentals, and fundraisers.
“There are some government programs we can hook up with, which is very nice, but we do have to work for the money that runs this place,” Falk says. “Our rentals have been very good. Small weddings, funerals, family gatherings. It pays the bills and provides a really nice spot for people to gather, especially since we upgraded the kitchen and bathrooms a few years ago.”
Future events include a watermelon and rollkuchen fundraiser and they’re thinking of holding a soup and pie
“We need those funds to operate. But we’re not worried. The people in our community really support those things. That’s what keeps these kinds of facilities operating. I’ve lived in Altona all my life, and I love the place. We’ve been running these waffle breakfasts for many years, and they’ve always been a big hit.”
