Members of the Winnipeg Beach Royal Canadian Legion Branch 61 and its Ladies Auxiliary are firing up their ovens in preparation for the sale of baked goodies and Ukrainian food next week, as well as an old-fashioned tea.
Cde. Lorraine Andrushuk, who is the Legion’s chair of entertainment and ways and means, said next week’s Christmas bake sale and tea are fundraisers that will support children, seniors and veterans in the community.
“We provide about 160 free lunches, mitts and toques to all the kids at the [Winnipeg Beach, Tiny Tots] school. We bring them over for lunch with Santa in December,” said Andrushuk. “We also give 176 free dinners to seniors in [housing complexes], shut-ins and veterans. That’s what the money is going towards.”
Members of the both the Legion and Ladies Auxiliary are starting to bake for the event, and Andrushuk said community members are welcome to donate baked goods in order to help boost sale proceeds.
“We need donations of baking for the tea and we need baking for the baking [sales] table,” she said. ‘People can donate whatever they want, whether that’s cookies, squares, loaves and so on. We [Legion and Auxiliary] make the pies and the Ukrainian food at the Legion. We’ve got the cabbage rolls and perogies already made and we’re going to start the perishky and the [assorted fruit] pies a few days before the sale.”
People wanting to donate baked goods can drop off their items between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 15.
“We’ll usually get people to help us that day but if they can’t, they can’t. But we really appreciate anyone that can help us.”
The old-fashioned tea (donation at the door) will happen in conjunction with the bake sale. It will consist of sandwiches, dainties and tea. There will also be a silent auction to held fundraise for kids, seniors and vets.
“It’s a beautiful tea with pickles, fancy sandwiches and dainties. The tea is free,” said Andrushuk. “And we have some really terrific auction prizes that were donated.”
The silent auction prizes include a night at the Lakeview Resort, a Santa Claus display, a basket from Pharmasave, and a baby’s bathtub full of items that’s worth around $240.
After the bake sale, the Legion is organizing an honours and awards dinner on Nov. 22 that’s $15 and Lunch with Santa on Dec. 8 and 9, which is “just a ball with the kids. Those little smiles – that’s what makes life worth living.”
The bake sale and tea will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. at the Legion at 20 Hamiliton Avenue.
For more information about donating baked goods, volunteering for the Nov. 15 bake sale or purchasing Ukrainian food, call Lorraine at the Legion (204) 389-2660, or at (204) 894-3701 or email: rclbr61@gmail.com
Visit the Legion’s website for more information about upcoming events.
