In the spirit of the season, more than 200 Quesnel junior secondary school students prepared and served a free Christmas dinner to approximately 100 guests Monday night. Students were involved in all aspects of the dinner including, to name a few, peeling carrots and potatoes, buttering buns, preparing stuffing, decorating the gym, setting up tables and chairs and place settings, wrapping gifts and serving the food Monday evening with the assistance of Save-On Foods staff.
The Correlieu Jazz Band and Choir, along with a visit from the local choral group After Eight, entertained throughout the evening. For the fourth year in a row, Santa was able to hand out new toys to the children who attended the dinner, thanks to generous donations from the community. Each year the dinner relies on students, staff and parent volunteers however, without sponsors it would not be possible. A special thanks to Save-On Foods for donating all the food, Quesnel and District Teachers’ Association which provided food and drinks for the 80 students working the night of the dinner, Integris Credit Union for their donation towards the dinner, McDonalds which donated juice and coupons for all the guests and Jean’s Catering and the Salvation Army which provided the use of their equipment.
Also, thank you to all the local agencies who distribute the tickets each year and all the volunteers, without them this dinner would not be possible.
This year, more than 30 plates of food were sent home to guests who were unable to come to the dinner.