The spirit of camaraderie was alive once again here this holiday season as well over 200 people came together at Knox United Church for the annual community Christmas dinner.
“I think it went very well. We had a steady stream of people, not too many at once,” said Karen Haney, assistant co-ordinator for the Fort Frances Volunteer Bureau, which organizes the dinner.
“All our volunteers showed [up]. They were really good,” she added. “I think it was great that many people took their time to come out and help put this on.
“Some even stayed all day.”
Dozens of volunteers helped do everything from preparing and serving the food, coffee, and punch to delivering the more than 60 “Meal on Wheels” that day.
One such volunteer was Marilyn O’Dell, who has been helping out with the community Christmas dinner for the past three years along with her husband, David.
“With the boys [Cameron and Brian] away from home, we figured it would be nice to get out of the house and into the community on Christmas Day,” said O’Dell.
“And David enjoys the music,” she added, referring to the fact her husband played guitar and sang inspirational tunes along with Jackie and Gerry Guimond, and Colleen Coté at the dinner that day.
The dinner drew both familiar faces and visitors from afar, as well as some new district residents, such as the Steele family from Cape Breton, N.S. who recently settled in Devlin.
“I think it’s wonderful,” said Cindy Steele. “It’s my first time away from home at Christmas. And this really puts us in the Christmas spirit.
“It really makes us feel like we’re part of the community,” she noted.
The dinner also was a first for Haney, who just started with the Volunteer Bureau this past year.
“I thought it was a blast,” she enthused. “It was fun. It was hectic, but it worth it.”
Haney noted the dinner did not run out of food, which was in ample supply thank to cash and food donations from the local Lions Club, Canadian Tire, Canada Safeway, McDonald’s Restaurant, and various individuals.
Pizza Connection used its ovens to cook up turkeys while poinsettias were supplied by Lowey’s Greenhouses.
The dinner ran from noon-2 p.m., with much of the bustle winding down by 1:30 p.m., said Haney. But volunteers stayed until late afternoon to clean up the basement area of the church.
Last year’s dinner drew about 220 people.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
