The long-running annual Sundre Community Christmas Dinner was the best that organizer Lourelle Vooys said she had ever been a part of.
"We fed 200 people," said Vooys, who runs the Cooking for Kindness initiative, which put on the event during the afternoon of Dec. 25 at the Sundre Legion. From that total, 46 of the meals prepared were delivered directly to people's homes.
The dinner included ham, turkey, potatoes and turnips, dressings and gravy, vegetables, salad, and pies for dessert. Local churches as well as restaurants helped prepare all the food, with 92 volunteers working behind the scenes to make it all possible, she said.
The event caters to anyone and everyone in the community, regardless of stature, she said.
"It's the same as Cooking for Kindness ó there are no exceptions."
The goal is ultimately "to provide an event for the community and make sure no one is alone for Christmas" as well as to offer an opportunity for people to connect with one another, she said.
"Hugging and kissing and talking ó that's all we did," she said, adding everyone of course also enjoyed eating.
The event had in previous years been held at the West Country Centre. However, organizers relocated to the new venue this year because Christmas Day fell on a Sunday and the Home Church, which runs the centre, could not make the venue available until too late in the evening following its service, she said.
"We approached the legion and I think if all works out well, we're always going to have it there if they'll accept us."
