Christmas dinner brings community together again

Christmas is all about people coming together to celebrate the season, be they family, friends, or perhaps just neighbours.
And a local tradition exemplifying this is the Fort Frances Volunteer Bureau’s community Christmas dinner.
Now in its 19th year, the annual dinner was held Monday afternoon at New Beginnings Fellowship and once again it embodied the spirit of community, Denise Audette, executive director of the Volunteer Bureau, said yesterday.
Audette said about 250 people enjoyed the dinner this year—a number consistent with past ones. This included 42 “Meals on Wheels,” which volunteers delivered to local shut-ins.
“I think it went really well. Everybody seemed to receive it well,” she noted. “It was just bustling with people. It turned out really well.
“I had a great time. It’s good every year,” added Audette. “It always pulls together. We just have great people that are dedicated and want it to work. And it did.”
Audette said she was pleased to see some new faces at the community dinner.
“The crowd is starting to change. More and more people are realizing that we’re welcoming everyone,” she remarked. “I was really happy with that.”
Audette also noted the change of location from Knox United Church thankfully did not affect the number of people attending, adding the volunteer bureau was providing rides to those unable to make it out to the church on their own.
One family who’s been going to the community dinner since they came to the district from Cape Breton in 2003 is the Steele family—consisting of John and Cindy and their three daughters, Ashley, Hayley, and Alicia.
Mom Cindy said the family appreciates the community dinner each year, adding the food and company is what keeps them coming back.
“It’s very nice. And it saves me some work,” she laughed.
Dad John said that because the family can’t make it back to Cape Breton each Christmas anymore, the community dinner serves an important role in their holidays.
“Getting together with family is a big thing back home,” he noted, adding the cozy atmosphere of the community dinner was the closest experience to that feeling of togetherness.
Audette stressed the dinner is truly an effort of volunteers, noting local citizens once again stepped up to donate their time.
About 50 volunteers performed numerous tasks on Christmas Day, ranging from cooking and serving food to delivering meals to shut-ins and giving people rides to the church.
In addition to the meal, which included all the traditional Yuletide fixings, Jackie and Gerry Guimond, David O’Dell, Everett Freeman, Myron Hawrylak, Deena Christiansen, June Caul, and Diane Maxey provided entertainment in the sanctuary adjacent to the dining area.
“It was kind of a sing-along,” said Maxey, who helped line up the music for the community dinner.
“The crowd was awesome,” she added, noting that while many guests came and went, a core group of 30 stuck around for more than a few songs.
“The people who were there loved it. They sat there and they sang with us, clapped and joined right in,” enthused Maxey. “They came up to us afterwards and talked. That’s never really happened before.
“They were more receptive because it was apart from dinner.”
Audette noted the dinner did not run out of food, which was in ample supply thanks to cash and food donations from local businesses, organizations, and service clubs, as well as numerous individuals.
“We couldn’t ask for a better community,” she remarked.
Any leftover food was given to the David’s Deli soup kitchen, which conveniently is located at New Beginnings Fellowship.
“Meals on Wheels” were delivered starting at 11 a.m. while the dinner itself ran from noon-2 p.m.
Audette said the dinner was busy until the end, and that some volunteers even stayed until late afternoon to clean up the dining area, which had been lavishly decorated in festive trappings.