After a one year hiatus, the Prince Albert Community Christmas Dinner is back again.
The dinner will take place on Dec. 25 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Salvation Army. It is put together by volunteers from Prince Albert for vulnerable or low-income residents of Prince Albert.
“The main thing is bringing people together and making sure that everybody at least has a good meal,” organizer Isabelle Impey said.
“It’s about meeting up with friends and getting that good Christmas feeling from the people that are serving and welcoming so that people are not alone on Christmas day.”
The Christmas dinner has been going on for more than 20 yrs but wasn’t held last year for reasons beyond the organizers control. Imply previously organized the dinners, but stepped down following the 2022 event. She returned to help organize a last minute take-out and delivery version in 2023, but stepped back as originally planned in 2024.
Now 82-years-old, Impey said the absence of the Christmas dinner left a lot of people disappointed. Due to the high need for it, Impey and other organizers and volunteers decided to get it going again.
“We couldn’t do it the year before and people ended up going and standing outside the St Mary School (that was our usual venue) waiting, thinking that there’s going to be a Christmas meal but there wasn’t,” Impey explained. “For us it’s not good. We need to start over again and ensure that it keeps going.”
While the Christmas Dinner has returned, the venue has changed. The Salvation Army will host the 2025 dinner at their downtown location since St. Mary’s kitchen is undergoing renovations.
The Dinner is open to everyone who wishes to attend. Impey said they just want to make sure everyone who needs a meal, has one.
She added that the support from the community has been great. Whether it’s volunteers, donors, or other organizers stepping in to fill key roles, Impey said she’s had plenty of help. However, they can always use more.
“Some people have called to deliver food, others are calling to volunteer, but we still need more volunteers and support,” she explained. “We would love to have our volunteers back and anybody that has a bit extra too that they can offer, we would appreciate.”
Affordability, or the lack of it, is a major concern driving this year’s community dinner. Impey said it’s “unbelievable” how expensive groceries are this year, and that’s fuelling the drive for another Community Christmas Dinner.
She promised that they will do the best they can to give everybody a good meal.
“Duane Braaten and Dawn have been excellent and are doing a lot to make sure this holds,” she added. “There will be candy treats for the kids made available by a friend in the community. This really does belong to the community, it does not belong to any one person and the community has been very cooperative.”
Anyone who wishes to volunteer should call Penny at 306-764-3676.
