LITTLE CURRENT—About hardy 160 souls from across Manitoulin Island took part in the first community Christmas dinner held at the Northeast Town Recreation Centre in Little Current, far short of the 500 diners prepared for, but considering the nasty weather outside, not so very shabby—and on the bright side very little went to waste.
For those that were able to make it out to the upstairs hall at the recreation centre, a delicious Christmas dinner, turkey or ham with all the trimmings and fabulous desserts, was served up by volunteers and accompanied with Christmas music performed by volunteers from across the Island.
“We would have liked to have seen more people out,” admitted Craig Timmermans, who along with his wife Kelly, organized and did a lot of the preparation for the dinner.
“It’s something we have wanted to do for a long time,” said Ms. Timmermans. “This year we decided to move ahead with it. We have learned a lot.”
“It was an absolute first class meal served to many community members who enjoyed a warm, delicious and generous Christmas turkey supper put together by KT and Craig,” said Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Mantha, who stood duty at the serving table throughout the evening. “Their generosity is only surpassed by the dedication they have shown repeatedly time and time again to Islanders.”
All of the food for the dinner was donated by Island businesses, particularly Barney’s Bargain Barn, and church communities were eager and willing to lend a hand in making the supper a success.
“The ladies at St. Bernard’s Roman Catholic Church peeled about 180 pounds of potatoes,” said Mr. Timmermans. He should know, as he apparently was in charge of mashing the cooked product. “It was a lot of mashing,” he admitted.
Linda Erskine of Little Current was also recognized by Ms. Timmermans for her outstanding effort in baking and decorating 12 dozen cookies for the event. “She was amazing,” said Ms. Timmermans.
While there was a fair bit of food left over at the end of the evening, only the gravy didn’t find a home. Mr. Mantha took a considerable amount of the leftovers with him on his way home that evening to be dropped off to organizations and families that could put it to good use in the holiday season.
Local organizations also found the largesse to be a boon in the Christmas season.
“I want to thank everyone for their generous support in helping make our dream a reality,” said Ms. Timmermans.