For the 27th year the Cariboo Chilcotin Child Development Centre will be putting on their Annual Yuletide Dinner in Williams Lake.
Executive Director Vanessa Riplinger said if you are lean on company, lean on funds, please come down and have dinner with us as everything is free.
“It’ll be a full Christmas dinner again this year. We’re going to have Santa there and music in the background so bring your kids as we also have stockings that go out from Santa, it’s just a festive event.”
Riplinger noted that the Yuletide Dinner is a real community event not only for those who attend, but all the volunteers that come out every year to help put it on.
“We’ve always had tremendous support. We have people from all over the community come in to help serve the meals. St Vincent De Paul preps all the dinner and Dave from the Loon is coming out to help with cooking and organizing the kitchen the way it should be. It’s just absolutely amazing how this dinner always comes together to spread Christmas cheer.”
When COVID hit, Riplinger said it changed how the Yuletide Dinner was handled.
“We delivered and had a drive thru that year so attendance went down a little bit but it’s coming back up. Last year there was a flu going around and people were a little nervous so attendance was a little lower, we were around the 450 meals mark. We’ve been as a high as 900 in the past and I think we’re averaging between 600 and 700 people coming to this annual event.”
Riplinger added the dinner is a happy event, it’s something that warms her heart at Christmas.
“It’s a kick off to the Holiday Season for us at the Child Development Centre for sure and I think for the community as well. This is something that give Christmas back to people who probably wouldn’t have a Christmas if we weren’t doing something like this. I think it’s really important for our community to recognize that we’re giving back to people who might struggle at Christmas time to give something to their children or to give something to each other. This is a Christmas dinner for a lot of people. This is Christmas.”
The 27th Annual Yuletide Dinner will take place this Wednesday December 4 from 4 to 7pm at the Sacred Heart Hall on Pigeon Avenue.
For more information or to donate you can call 250-392-4481.
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