The North End came alive this weekend as hundreds of people attended a free Christmas dinner at the Ukrainian Labour Temple.
Over 800 attended the event put on by Winnipeg veteran, Trevor Sanderson.
“I’d like to extend heartfelt gratitude to everyone who joined tonight’s festive Christmas dinner, making it a resounding success with over 823 attendees and 600 toys distributed to children,” said Sanderson. “Thanks to each donor and volunteer who contributed their time and efforts, embodying the true spirit of community and kindness.”
This initiative started in 2018, when Sanderson noticed the area where he grew up was changing.
“I wanted to try to do something to bring back some of that community, and I decided to throw a free community dinner, and that year I hosted it at the Thunderbird House,” said Sanderson. “It was quite the experience, and I ended up having between 100 and 125 people show up.”
That number continued to grow year after year, and last year, Sanderson and his volunteers fed over 500 people, expecting up to 1,000 this year, which they came close to.
Leading up to the event, Sanderson slept on the street for a week at the corner of Main Street and Higgins Avenue, collecting food and monetary donations for the event.
For Sanderson, hosting this dinner is a way to bring joy to the community during the holiday season.
“I grew up in the North End, and when I was young, community centres and churches used to throw dinners like this. Some of my best memories were going to things like this,” said Sanderson. “This is my way to give back to the community.”
Sanderson says he has no intentions of stopping, with plans already in place to do the same thing again next year.
