Ridgeway Lions serve the community with 23rd holiday dinner

A free holiday dinner hosted by the Ridgeway Lions Club brought neighbours together Monday evening at the Crystal Ridge Community Centre, providing residents facing food insecurity or holiday isolation with a full turkey meal and children’s gift bags.

The Lions prepared roughly 250 meals worth of food, expecting a higher turnout considering the decent weather and increased need they’ve seen in the community. Any surplus food was set aside for distribution to local churches.

“It’s our way of saying thank you to the community, because not everybody can afford a full turkey dinner right now,” said Craig Fisher, secretary of the Ridgeway Lions Club.

Fisher told Fort Erie Radio the event was funded entirely by the club and its supporters, with volunteers covering food costs and labour. He said the Lions do not profit from the dinner and view it as core service work.

“We don’t judge anybody here. If they need a meal, they need a meal,” said Fisher.

About 22 volunteers helped with the event, including six who started cooking early in the morning and worked late into the evening. Two 91-year-old members, including long-time member Robbie Robertson, volunteered at the dinner, continuing decades of service with the Ridgeway Lions Club.

Children attending the dinner received gift bags assembled by the Ridgeway Lionesses, a service group connected to the Lions. The bags included mittens and assorted treats.

“We like giving it to the children, because the children don’t always have enough,” said April Wuchkowski, a member of the Lionesses.

Past president Bruce Schinkel said the dinner reflects the needs the club sees year-round through its regular outreach.

“There is more need than you know. We’re here daily, and we have knocks on the door asking for food,” said Schinkel. “We see it, and we’re going to do something about it.”

Schinkel said the Ridgeway Lions have delivered food to local churches and soup kitchens every Monday for more than two decades and regularly encounter people who lack stable housing or reliable access to meals.

Club president Bob Buchanan, who has helped with the annual dinner for 23 years, said the holiday tradition also addresses a loneliness epidemic during the Christmas season.

“There are people who are at home that don’t have anybody, no family, nothing to go to. This gives them somewhere to go and some sense of comfort,” said Buchanan.

He said the Ridgeway Lions rely on community support to continue programs like the dinner, monthly pasta nights and other fundraising efforts that support local causes.

The Ridgeway Lions Club is continuing to look for its next major fundraising project after completing its long-term $225,000 financial commitment to Hospice Niagara. The club is also recruiting new members heading into the new year.

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