Community Christmas dinners are again happening to bring people together in Winkler and Morden.
Central Station Community Centre will host its holiday gathering on Dec. 22, while Westside Community Church in Morden is hosting a community meal on Christmas Day.
“It’s beautiful. It’s incredible to see,” said Rebecca Thiessen, kitchen co-ordinator at Central Station Community Centre. “It’s just to support the community, help people, and make connections.
“For us, it’s been meeting a need in the community,” noted Gerald Dyck, a pastor at Westside Community Church. “It’s for people who are maybe isolated or don’t have family in the area and just need a hand or want to just sit with people.”
The Morden meal happens Dec. 25 from noon to 2 p.m.. The church has done this for a number of years now to fill the void left when a previous community meal organized by volunteers fell by the wayside.
“It’s for anyone who needs a spot of just wants to spend some time with community and get a great meal,” said Dyck.
“Everyone has less resources, it seems, and maybe less volunteerism sometimes, so we just kind of took it on,” he said, suggesting it is an important thing for the community.
He added it is not just about the meal but perhaps even mores about the fellowship aspect.
“We thought let’s see if we can get the volunteers to pull it off, and we have been pleasantly surprised with people who have volunteered to prepare and people who have volunteered to serve and clean-up,” Dyck said. “And there’s people from the community who are doing that, it’s not just our church doing it. People are volunteering from across the community and really stepping up.”
Dyck said it always feels heartening to organize and hold the meal.
“We have been pleasantly surprised every year how quickly our volunteer needs have been filled. Lots of folks actually do have free time on Dec. 25,” he noted. “There’s lots of folks who say I can give two or three hours, and there’s lots of people who are repeat volunteers.”
He encouraged people to register and let them know in advance if they may need a ride to the event.
“If anyone has a need or knows of someone who may benefit from a ride, they can email or call our church … and we also do meal delivery if you need,” he added.
Dyck was uncertain of the possible response, but he noted they even had enough extra meals last year that they delivered some food to staff at Boundary Trails Health Centre.
“We made enough food that we were able to meet the evening shift at the hospital.”
In Winkler, meanwhile, Thiessen noted their Christmas dinner Dec. 22 aligns with what would normally be the regular Monday night community meal, though they extend the hours to run from 4:30-7 p.m.
“It is our biggest community Café 545 meal. We’re anticipating about 600 people this year,” she estimated. “It’s a come and go meal. That’s why we have the extended time … to accommodate the increase in people.
“People can sign up and call ahead if they would like rides,” Thiessen added, noting they will be serving a traditional Christmas meal with ham, meatballs, scalloped potatoes, vegetable, stuffing and dessert.
She stressed it is open to everyone and anyone.
“Food brings people together … when you have Christmas and food and community then you have just a fantastic combination.
“We have an incredible wealth of volunteers who come to Central Station on a regular basis,” Thiessen added. “We generally have about 20 to 25 volunteers on any given Monday. That number will be up, not quite doubled, but it will be higher definitely on the 22nd.”
A third community holiday meal took place this past Tuesday at the Morden Alliance Church, spearheaded by the Many Hands Resource Centre.
“This event was open to everyone. It was simply our way to bring people together, noted executive director Mariyam Tsygankova.
“We know Morden is home to many different cultures, and this was our way to celebrate that diversity and also our community support. This was also a chance for us to say thank you and celebrate the season together,” she added.
It was their fourth year of hosting the dinner, and it is something they very much intend to continue with, Tsygankova said.
“It has become a tradition.”
