Published January 04, 2022 18:32
(Sourced from Sherwood Park News)
On Monday, Dec. 20, BGC Strathcona County held a Christmas dinner for youth in the community for all that came through the doors of the CanTeen Youth Hub
"It became apparent to our youth staff that there was a pretty large group of teens that were going to go through the Christmas holidays without a Christmas dinner or Christmas experience. We also wanted to thank the youth for being contributors to the CanTeen Youth Hub,” explained Jess Proulx, communications and community engagement coordinator for BGC Strathcona County. “We decided to reach out to the community to host a turkey dinner for all the youth that came to the CanTeen.”
The dinner allowed the youth to have some hot food that is more festive to give them that holiday experience.
“We had 45 youth come through the door and get a hot meal,” she said. “We made enough food so that the youth were able to take some food home and pack their lunches for the last day of school and have some extra plates of food for over the holidays too.”
With a good turnout, the holiday youth dinner will likely become a fixture for the local non-profit.
“This is the first time the CanTeen has been open during the holidays. Last year, we were unfortunately had to be closed due to the provincial restrictions. We’re really hoping to be able to do things like this over all the holiday season but especially over Christmas, to ensure that all the youth of Strathcona County are provided for,” Proulx said.
The meal was provided thanks to the generous donations from a number of local businesses.
“We had 7-11, the number two location on Sioux Road, Gurminder Sandhu and her team were able to contribute a lot for us,” Proulx said. “We also received donations from Value Village in Sherwood Park, and Becky and her team at Tax Assessment for Strathcona County, and many community members.”
The Christmas dinner also allowed BGC to use a new addition to the facility for the first time: the community kitchen.
“We’re still accepting donations for the kitchen. In the New Year, we’re hoping to use the kitchen for a free youth cooking program,” she added.
You can make monetary donations or donate kitchen supplies by visiting scbgc.com or calling 780-416-1500.