Riverside Mission is expecting at least 150 people for their annual Christmas dinner on Dec 22. Each person will receive a small gift with their meal. Kids will receive a toy, and adults will receive socks stuffed with hygiene products.
They are serving a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Staff have been cooking turkeys for weeks now. Some of the turkeys have been cooked overnight by the night staff at the mission.
Other community-based organizations such as the Food Bank and Salvation Army have been letting their clients and visitors know about the dinner for nearly a month, which will help contribute to the turnout.
The event is only possible through community donations. Rachel Mullens, director of emergency services for Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, said that “the people of Moose Jaw always pitch in every year and make our Christmas meals amazing. And we always get gifts for kids and things for adults, and it’s just a pretty amazing community. We couldn’t do it without them.”
There will be four staff and four or five volunteers helping to serve the meal, which will be held from 3 to 5 pm.
With COVID restrictions in place and limited space in which to seat everyone they are expecting, the meal will be takeout again this year. Clients will line up outside, come in one at a time, and receive their meal in a bag.
They will also be given a small gift. Each gift bag will have a toy for the kids, and hygiene products and chocolate for the adults.
Hot coffee and tea are always available, and hot chocolate will be served with the turkey dinner.
Riverside Mission serves hot lunch and dinner Mon-Fri for anyone in need. They also have a four-person emergency men’s shelter.
Riverside Mission merged with Regina-based Souls Harbour Rescue Mission in 2019, and is expected to break ground on a dramatically-expanded new Moose Jaw location in early 2022.
