It was yet another great year for the beloved Community Christmas Dinner which feeds many North Grenville residents every year in the spirit of kindness and goodwill. The free dinner is made possible solely through donations, sponsorship, and volunteers. This year, the countless individuals who made the dinner happen were proud to serve up 200 “meals of Christmas joy”.
“The True Spirit of Christmas shone again through the annual Community Christmas Dinner,” one of the event’s volunteers told the Times. “The volunteer teams went above and beyond to be able to share Christmas with others, starting with the organizing team, community donations and all those who so happily came together to chop and cook veggies, slice turkey and hams, desserts, and breads. So much food so happily donated.”
In correspondence with the Times, the anonymous volunteer could not stress enough the wide ranging duties that volunteers were asked to perform, all of which were crucial to the success of the Dinner. She went on to provide further examples. “Teams that provided cooler bags and packed them with all that was prepared. Volunteer drivers also delivered prepared meals to those who could not do pickup.”
This year’s event took place at the First Christian Reformed Church, though the annual event has no affiliation with any particular organization, church, or individual. Part of the annual tradition that makes it so magical is that there is no “spotlight” for those who help out. Those who give their resources and time to make the dinner possible do so in a move that can only be described as true altruism, since it comes without any recognition.
“We all felt blessed to have been a part of this annual outreach,” the anonymous volunteer added. “Volunteers came out so willingly and with a love to serve together so that others could enjoy a Christmas gift of food and a smile as they received their Christmas packages.”
Events like the Community Christmas Dinner go a long way toward showing what a caring and tight-knit community North Grenville is. The Dinner is a tradition going back eight years. The free meal consists of a full turkey dinner and desserts. It was originally conceived of as a way to bring Christmas joy to those who may otherwise be eating alone on Christmas Day, as well as a way for people from the community to have an opportunity for some Christmas conversation. Until next year, friends!
