Fruit cake fundraiser underway to bring holiday joy
The Selkirk and District Lions Club is looking for people who want to help bake cakes which will be sold as part of their Christmas Cake Bake Fundraiser. The fundraiser is a bit of a well-kept secret in Selkirk as the Lions very quickly sell out of these traditional fruit cakes every holiday season.
“The Selkirk and District Lions Club basically used to sell used to sell Christmas cakes as a fundraiser in the past. In the past four years we’ve started baking our own cakes. The first year, we did 100 cakes, and the target this year is 240 cakes. Last year, we did around 180 cakes,” said Selkirk Lion Veena Vijayan.
Vijayan explains that every year since they started they have baked more cakes, but, as the reputation of these fruit cakes gets around, the demand has always meant that they have to increase their cake baking for next year.
This cake baking isn’t just a fun way to spread holiday cheer, however, as proceeds go to the Lions Club’s Christmas Meal Program. Last year the program was so successful that they were able to distribute 160 meals throughout our community during the holidays.
To do this, however, they need to bake a lot of cakes. They do this in parts baking and freezing them so that they bake get enough for sale in December.
“We actually gather on a Friday evening, chop the fruits and soak them and all that and the next day we come and mix them and bake them,” explained Vijayan.
The dates that they have set aside for baking are: Oct. 11 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. and Oct. 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Nov. 8 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. and Nov. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and Nov. 22 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. and Nov. 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The Lions Club is hoping that residents in the community who enjoy baking might want to come and help out with this great cause.
Making the cakes in batches is “the only way because we have all three ovens, and we do a full day of baking, and that’s the capacity of the oven,” explained Vijayan.
The cakes are baked in the commercial kitchen of the Lions Manor on Christie Ave. in Selkirk.
Vijayan says that this fundraiser is important in our community because some families may not have the resources to have a traditional holiday dinner so being able to host this fundraiser allows them to gather together during a time of year when many are celebrating. It also gives people who don’t have families something to look forward to during the holidays so it’s a program that helps many different people in different circumstances in our community.
“It’s a festive season and everybody wants to be happy, and it’s a joyful time of the year, right? And, sometimes somebody (might not be) able to do that for their family, for whatever reason it could be, or it could be just one of those years when they couldn’t and it really means a lot to see that smile on their face,” she said.
The need is there in our community.
“In the last four years we have been doing this the numbers have always increased. It shows the need for such a program in the community,” she said.
Vijayan encourages people who are interested to reach out to her at 204-227-1646 to let her know you are coming.
“It’s a very real fun activity. We have, in each group, people from, like young adults to the older adults who have retired and who have been helping out. We all get together chopping the food and having some chit-chat around the table,” she said.
If you are interested in purchasing one of these notable fruit cakes. They are 2lb cakes and are sold for $25 each. The cakes are advertised on the Selkirk and District Lions Club’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/selkirklions and they sell out fast so once the post goes up they advise you to place your order by messaging them before they run out.
