When the doors to the Florence Filberg Centre opened at noon Christmas Day, the hall quickly filled to capacity with 200 guests for the 31st annual Earl Naswell Christmas Dinner.
Chef Andrew of the Westerly Hotel, and Chef Dale had worked hard to make sure all was ready for the dinner, and once Monk GesheLa had delivered a blessing, the full turkey and ham dinner was served by the many volunteers that gathered to share some Comox Valley Christmas spirit.
"As an organizer of this event, I have to thank all those that contributed to making this year's dinner the best ever," says Rob James. "First of all, Gerry Smith has worked tirelessly for many years collecting donations from the community and making sure all was ready to go on the big day.
"Local businesses were all generous this year and the list is long but we need to thank them all for the 22 turkeys, six hams and enough other supplies to provide 200 dinners for the guests. The kitchen crew this year also dished up close to another 200 complete takeout dinners for those that were unable to attend, or just to provide an additional dinner for the guests.
"It is amazing to see the 100 volunteers pitch in to pick up supplies, set up the hall and decorate the tables, put together 200 gift bags, prepare the dinner, serve the dinner and desserts, and the all-important cleanup," James adds. "Special thanks to those on the kitchen and dishes clean up crew!"
— Earl Naswell Christmas Dinner