Daily Herald
Prince Albert’s homeless and low-income residents were treated to a sumptuous Christmas Day Dinner that held from noon to 4 p.m. and organized by Members of the Prince Albert Community.
Isabelle Impey led the efforts, with help from Duane Braaten and others, at the Salvation Army’s downtown location on Dec. 25.
“It feels great to be able to do this,” Impey said. “Last year we did hampers but it is not the same. You need to add that personal touch and this dinner makes it feel great. You need to tell people that you care and for them to be able to experience the caring as well.”
The organizers budgeted for hundreds of attendees at the Christmas Dinner, while also making provisions for home deliveries.
Impey said the meal couldn’t have happened without the Salvation Army donating their space.
“The Salvation Army has been just awesome in lending us their facility,” she said. “It’s a good thing it’s an industrial kitchen. It’s amazing, we really enjoyed using their facility.”
“They are the game changer this year,” Braaten added.
While their efforts were appreciated, planning wasn’t easy.
“Putting this together was difficult but some really good people came together,” Impey explained. “The (Prince Albert) Grand Council helped. We left it late because we didn’t know if we would have enough money to buy the food. It was at the last minute that people came through.”
Impey has been organizing this dinner for 23yrs. To her the joy of seeing people eat is like getting another Christmas present.
“This is a lot better than hampers or sharing uncooked food items because it’s hot and people don’t need to cook again,” Braaten said. “They can just eat and have the nutrition right away.
“The community response is gratifying.”
Thirty turkeys and more than a thousand pounds of potatoes were used to make the dinner possible.
The organizers are planning for next year’s dinner already. Even before the fire at the Salvation Army, they said the plan is to move back to their old venue at St. Mary High School.
They had over a dozen volunteers who came out to give of their time to the community.
“It feels good to be here and serving,” said 15-year-old Molly Braaten, one of the volunteers. “I wish everybody a merry Christmas.”
Father DJ from St Mark’s Parish was on hand to offer prayers as the diners were enjoying their meal, also appreciated the organizers.
“Thank you Isabelle and all the volunteers for hosting this meal,” he said.
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