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SE   City

HD   Ottawa Mission a welcoming place for holiday meal; Attendance down, but need growing for annual

Christmas dinner, says organizer 

BY   Ilana Belfer 

CR   Ottawa Citizen

WC   599 words

PD   17 December 2012

SN   Ottawa Citizen

SC  OTCT

ED   Final

PG   C3

LA   English

CY   Copyright © 2012 Ottawa Citizen

LP

Rob Legue is out of work and on disability. As he put it, "rent is high and food is low."

But Legue, 50, celebrated the holidays with a traditional meal on Sunday: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes

- the works, and unlimited plates, provided by the Ottawa Mission at its annual Christmas dinner.

TD

He wasn't alone. The mission was set to serve 2,500 dinners over the course of the day, about the samenumber as it served last year. And they were fully stocked: one tonne of turkey, 50 gallons of gravy and 450

pounds of potatoes, as well as vegetables and dinner rolls.

In the end, they only served 1,784 meals, with staff attributing the decline to the weather - snow and ice

pellets - and other community events taking place rather than a decreasing number of people in need.

"Every year there's more people coming for Christmas dinner and you're starting to see children come in,"

said Diane Morrison, who will soon retire after 20 years as the mission's executive director. "People are

lonely or families don't have enough money to buy a turkey."

Richard Wolski gets food at the mission a few times a week, and has been going there for 37 years.

"We appreciate it," he said. "I'm one of the big thankers. I'll always stick my head in the kitchen and say it

was a good meal. ... If they're getting some negativity, I'll always put the positivity in."

This time, Wolski complimented the dessert - one of 3,000 cupcakes donated through an initiative called

Cupcakes 4 Christmas, which Josee Cowley started three years ago. Cowley co-ordinates baking and

collection via a website, Facebook and Twitter. "I keep going until I get my 3,000," she said. This year it took

less than a month and 30 different sources to reach the goal.

Cowley is one of 150 volunteers who made the event possible, along with the donors. Among the servers,

greeters and seaters were Ottawa chief of police Charles Bordeleau and some officers, city councillor 

(Rideau-Vanier) Mathieu Fleury and Liberal MPP Madeleine Meilleur.

 Although Wolski said he felt hurt by a family member who called him a bum and didn't want him at the family

celebration, the mission provides him with a sense of community.

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"I probably know 90 per cent of the people in here," Wolski said. "All the boys sit together."

The sense of inclusivity was particularly important to Katherine Goudie and her fiancée, Laura Lautzenhiser.

"We come because we're gay and we're not discriminated against here," said Goudie, which is something

she said they face dealing with other Christian-based services.

The couple is currently living in Goudie's car after recently being evicted by a landlord they called their ownMr. Scrooge.

"If you're hungry, the mission is a free place when you don't have anywhere else to go," Goudie said. "They

understand what Christmas is all about."

 Another dinner will be held Christmas Day for shelter residents only.

ART   James Park, Ottawa Citizen / Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau serves orange juice and tomato juice

to those attending the annual Christmas dinner at the Ottawa Mission on Sunday.; James Park, Ottawa

Citizen / Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau serves orange juice and tomato juice to those attending the

annual Christmas dinner at the Ottawa Mission on Sunday. [OTCT_20121217_Final_C3_85056_I001.jpg];

RE   cana : Canada | caon : Ontario | ottaw : Ottawa | namz : North America

PUB   Ottawa Citizen

AN   Document OTCT000020121217e8ch0001p

Search Summary

Text   "Ilana Belfer"

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