The Interfaith Caring Kitchen is holding its annual community Christmas dinner Wednesday and organizers are looking forward to getting back to an in-person celebration.
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“This is the first time since the COVID (pandemic) years that we’re going to go back to having a fully sit down dinner,” said volunteer Shawn Christensen.
There will be no take-out dinners served, she said, as they return to “making it more like a Christmas party” rather than handing out food to people, which was done during the COVID pandemic.
Doors open at 4:30 pm at the Spirit and Life Centre, 184 Wellington St. W., in Chatham and Christensen said there will be door prizes and Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there for those wanting a photograph.
“It’s wonderful and I’m really excited about it,” she said of the event returning to in-person. “I’m hoping that people will come out.”
Although the primary goal is to provide a meal to those facing “food insufficiency,” Christensen said all are welcome to enjoy the warmth and company of others while sharing a meal and being part of a nice festive evening.
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The Interfaith Caring Kitchen is also keeping its tradition of serving a roast beef dinner for its Christmas meals, which includes mashed potatoes and plenty of other side dishes. She added there also will be pies and cupcakes for desert.
“We’re fortunate to have TekSavvy as a major financial contributor to our evening,” said Christensen.
She added there is also several TekSavvy employees who volunteer their time to help at the event.
The Interfaith Caring Kitchen is a partnership with the St. Joseph-St. Ursula Catholic Parish and the Chatham-Kent Muslim Association that began nearly 15 years ago.
Christensen said they work together twice a month to operate a soup kitchen out of the parish hall at St. Ursula Catholic Church.
“A huge amount of our donations comes from donations from the Islamic community,” she said. “We would not be able to function without that generosity.”
She added there are also many volunteers from the Muslim community who serve Interfaith Caring Kitchen.
“For me, it’s just wonderful to see the business community, the Islamic community and the Christian churches come together to help feed people,” Christensen said.
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