Four years ago, Deb Hatton lost someone very close to her whose birthday was on Christmas Day.
Now, each Christmas, she tries to honour him by bringing the community together with a free meal on Dec. 25.
Last year was the first time Hatton took part in the community Christmas meal, and partner with Jennifer McLachlan, then owner of Cachet Supper Club, to feed about 100 guests.
Hatton says the experience was amazing and she’ll be doing it again this year with a luncheon at the Newmarket Community Centre and Lions Hall, 200 Doug Duncan Dr., from 1 to 3 p.m.
The luncheon will offer a sit-down meal for those who want company, as well as takeout for families who may not have the funds for a Christmas dinner this year.
“Everybody is welcome,” Hatton said. “It’s tough for a lot of people during the holidays and there’s a lot of food scarcity right now with the cost of everything going up.”
With how overwhelming the world can be, Hatton’s not sure she can do anything to change it, but initiatives and acts of kindness are a place to start.
“Maybe this is how it changes at a grassroots level with people helping people,” she said. “We’re just people in the community who want to do something to help and we want to do it locally.”
When Hatton did the event last year, she didn’t think the world would be in an even scarier place a year later. Between the need for it and the experience she had last year, she couldn’t imagine not doing it again this year.
“It was amazing last year,” she said. “It made me feel like I can make a difference even if it’s a little fraction of one. It made me feel I can help my own community.”
Something that really warmed Hatton’s heart last year was the amount of volunteers who stepped up to help ensure the initiative went smoothly.
“It was unbelievable the number of people who wanted to help,” she said. “I realized that we’re not just providing a service for people in need, but we’re also providing a service for people to be of service. It can be difficult for them on Christmas, too.”
Driving the Main Street corridor every day in the early morning, Hatton sees how much homelessness is impacting the community and while it can be a complicated issue, she just wanted to show her support any way she could with the free Christmas meal.
“I wanted to do something to support our community with kindness and respect,” she said.
Something that really blew her away last year was families who donated homemade desserts on Christmas day.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “Families got up with their kids on Christmas morning and baked and dropped off desserts.”
This year, she’s expecting to serve about 200 meals with the volunteers, and engagement is a key aspect to the luncheon. She’s working on getting entertainment and a friend of hers owns a company called Pook, and has donated 150 pairs of socks.
Hatton is still working on drumming up support for the event and is continuing to look for volunteers.
“Any help is helpful,” she said. “We’re looking for volunteers and donations."
Hatton said that on so many different levels it’s been amazing with it providing the opportunity to be of service, to teach kids about kindness, and to support those who need it on Christmas.
“That’s what it’s about,” she said. “This is how we can make a difference, I keep thinking about how different the world would be if everyone was kinder.”
Donations to the Christmas Community Luncheon be sent via e-transfer to [email protected]. Those wishing to volunteer can reach out to Hatton vie email at [email protected].
