Ricky’s All Day Grill in Prince Albert will offer free hot meals on Christmas Day as a way to give back to the community during the holidays.
Owner-operator Saima Hussain said the idea came together after taking over the restaurant earlier this year and looking for meaningful ways to support local residents.
“We took over Ricky’s just this year in January, and we wanted to do something for the community,” Hussain said.
She said the holiday season felt like the right time to act, particularly with rising costs affecting many households.
“We were throwing around ideas,” she explained. “We were also offering free breakfast to some of the service providers and homeless shelters and Hopes Home and stuff like that, and we wanted to do something on Christmas Day.”
Hussain noted that many restaurants are closed on Christmas Day, leaving limited options for people who may not be able to prepare a meal themselves.
“Especially with inflation being what it is and how things are so expensive, not everybody has a chance to celebrate Christmas or get by as they would like to,” she said.
The Christmas Day meal will be provided as a takeout, as dining in will be closed. Each meal will include soup, a sandwich, and coffee.
The free meals will be available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Christmas Day.
“We’re expecting, maybe, tentatively, maybe 100, maybe 150,” she said.
Hussain said staff and ownership will be on-site to help ensure the day runs smoothly.
“We’re planning on scheduling staff for the kitchen and then me and the other operators, they’re going to be working here on Christmas Day during those hours, so we could serve them personally,” she said.
Hussain said the program is intended to support people who may be hesitant to ask for help. She emphasized that the gesture is about kindness and reducing stigma.
“There are a lot of people who have difficulty asking for help, who have too much self respect, but there’s if we can just be there or just show that there is no stigma, or there’s nothing wrong with helping people, she said.
She added that community support should not be limited to one season.
“This isn’t something that should be done just in the Christmas season. This is something that could be done year around, something in the spirit of kindness,” Hussain said.
In addition to the Christmas Day meals, Ricky’s has already provided free breakfast to local service groups and shelters. Hussain said free breakfast was delivered to Prince Albert paramedics on Dec. 9, with additional breakfasts planned for the Relatives Lodge on Dec. 17 and Hope’s Home on Dec. 18.
“We are hoping that we are able to continue this past the Christmas season,” she said.
On Christmas Day, the meal service will be walk-in and to-go only.
“So basically, it’s just going to be walk in. They would just walk in. We’ll be there. We’ll be there personally to greet them, and we’ll prepare their meal, and they’ll just have it to go,” Hussain said.
She encourages those who are able to leave space for those most in need.
“We would like to serve the needy, So if somebody, if so, if possible, if somebody is not as needy, just leave something for somebody who actually needs it,” she said.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
