As the weather outside turns frightful, thereB次元官网网址檚 an annual event inside the Mary Winspear Centre thatB次元官网网址檚 delightful for people who cannot be with family or friends at Christmas.

A jolly collection of volunteers on the Saanich Peninsula are getting ready to host the annual Christmas Day Community Dinner.

Reservations for the by-donation dinner are being taken as of November 24 B次元官网网址� but according to one of the volunteers, Isobel Yoxall, people started calling on the first day of the month.

The volunteer group works closely with three grocery stores on the Peninsula, Thrifty Foods, Save-On-Foods and Fairway Market. The stores can continued to be very generous with the event, making sure they have the meals ready to go on December 25.

ItB次元官网网址檚 the 18th year for the Christmas dinner event. It was started in 2000 by April Andrews, Debbie Seeboth and Jeanette Hughes and the idea is to provide a meal and companionship to seniors and others who are alone on Christmas day. Yoxall said last yearB次元官网网址檚 dinner saw around 250 people over two sittings.

Once again, leading the cooking team, is volunteer Clara Knight. She said there will be 12 or 13 turkeys B次元官网网址� at 20 pounds or more each B次元官网网址� as well as stuffing and all the fixings. She said sheB次元官网网址檚 managed to get two sets of plates and cutlery this year B次元官网网址� from the Saanich Fairgrounds and from the Friendship Community Church B次元官网网址� so thereB次元官网网址檚 not mad scramble to clean dishes during the meal. They organizers, however, still do require a lot of volunteers.

Knight said volunteering at the event has become a tradition for many people, such as the Winkle family. She said four generations of that family turned out last year to serve food, clean and more.

B次元官网网址淲e all pitch in too,B次元官网网址� Knight said.

Volunteer Vern England (who saysB次元官网网址檚 heB次元官网网址檚 going to play a very big role during the dinner, ho-ho-ho) will be working with the grocery stores to collect the food and make sure Knight and her team have all they need to prepare the dinner in advance.

There are two sittings at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. For reservations, call lead organizer Wendy Warshawski at 250-656-7678.