Christmas dinner hosted by Ridgeway Lions a local tradition for many years

The Ridgeway Lions Club has been serving the local community for 95 years through a plethora of projects and initiatives. One of them is an annual Christmas dinner held at their headquarters inside the Crystal Ridge Community Centre.

It was held Saturday and was expected to bring out more than 300 people, according to past-president Bruce Schinkel at about 4 p.m. as people were starting to file in, loading their plates full with a turkey dinner.

The event was founded decades ago by a collective of churches in the area until it was taken over by the local service club 22 years ago.

Donations were accepted but not required.

“If they have a nickel, we’ll take it, and if they don’t, that’s okay,” said Schinkel, one of the lead organizers of the dinner.

Enough food for 500 people was prepared and anything left over was taken to the soup kitchen at Crystal Ridge Church, he said.

Club members take great pleasure in putting the gathering together.

“We get more out of it than they do,” Schinkel said, adding the dinner is put on to brighten the holidays for people who need it.

The Ridgeway Lions host a monthly pasta dinner and also work with local churches to put on beef dinners, of which there have been seven this month already.

A large portion of the funds to host Saturday’s dinner came from the Friends of Crystal Beach.

The Ridgeway Lions have a number of other efforts in the community, such as an annual golf tournament that raises money for autism as well as guide dogs.

An outdoor courtyard area at Hospice Niagara that’s part of the new Gilmore Lodge has been made possible through a commitment of $225,000 by the club over five years, which is already half paid off, said Schinkel.

The club also purchased 60 helmets for kids at John Brant Public School.

Jackie Turner has been attending the annual dinner for many years.

She was happy to enjoy the “beautiful” meal on Saturday, celebrating a recent obstacle of almost being homeless, she said.

But she and her husband Wayne have found a place to live in Ridgeway, and they’re both very appreciative of the Lions for the annual gesture.

“It’s great that people help,” she said, pointing out that she often assists others however she can, such as guiding seniors in the right direction when they need to contact a certain organization or agency for programs and services.

“When you’ve been through it, you can also help other people,” she said.

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