Veterans living in long-term care homes in the community were treated to a Christmas dinner with all the fixings by Royal Canadian Legion Branch #288 in Westbank on Sunday afternoon.
“The inspiration for this one is our new executive member for 2024 Nicole Belanger. She’s just retired from the military and she thought this was a good way to represent our long-term care veterans,” said Branch #288 president Anne Steeves Fox.
About 15 volunteers spent the day decorating the hall and cooking up a hearty feast.
“There’s 76 pounds of turkey, 12 pounds of ham, 20 pounds of carrots, 20 pounds of corn,” explained Dave Faurot, who showed up at 5 a.m. to supervise the kitchen.
Santa and his trusty elf side-kick Prosecco also stopped by to bring some festive cheer to the event. They handed out gifts that were collected through donations from Legion members and from West Kelowna businesses including Paynter’s Fruit Market, Bylands Garden Centre and Off the Grid winery.
Guests came from Westwood Retirement Resident, The Heritage Retirement Residence, and Lakeview Lodge. The diners included the Legion’s longest-serving member, 100-year-old Betty Gold.
Steeves Fox points out that, other than a paid bookkeeper, the Westbank Legion is an entirely volunteer-run organization. She’s hoping the holiday dinner will become an annual event.