The Maranatha Church on Portsmouth Rd. in Nanaimo will be offering a free Christmas Day meal for the sixth year in a row. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

dish up

Free Christmas Day meal to be served at Maranatha Church

Dec 23, 2022 | 5:26 AM

NANAIMO — There’s at least one place to go for a delicious and free meal this Christmas.

The Maranatha Church on Portsmouth Rd. in Nanaimo is once again offering a hot meal on Christmas Day to anyone who wants it from 4 until 7 p.m.

Volunteer organizer Cliff Faust said in the six years they’ve hosted this dinner, they’ve seen all walks of life come through their doors.

“I think it gives people the opportunity to gather together in a group and share a Christmas dinner. It may bring back memories of childhood that they haven’t had in a long time.”

Faust said they serve an average of about 180 meals every year, with 250 being the most they’ve ever done.

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He said it takes combined efforts from multiple community organizations and a small army of volunteers to make this Christmas feast a reality.

“I think the first year there was a lot of effort put into letting people know, so it hasn’t really changed much in the numbers since the first year, but we do share with the 7-10 Club meal program. They tell their people on Christmas Day where it is, and then we donate all the leftovers from the meal to 7-10 Club.”

Much of the food, including all the turkeys, is provided BY Loaves and Fishes Food Bank, along with community members who will drop off turkeys at the church to be cooked.

From there, it’s a family affair to get the birds ready for the big day.

“My wife and my mother-in-law cooked 12 turkeys in the last few years by themselves and then they de-bone them, we freeze it, and then take it down the day of and we have people come at noon on the day of the meal.”

He said the meal is open to anyone, and no donation is required to enjoy the meal.

“Whoever shows up we’ll feed them, and send them home with leftovers if there are any.”

Faust said they’re not sure of any other meals being provided in Nanaimo on Christmas Day

“I’m not sure that there are any other meals on Christmas Day that are done, so we just felt it was important to do it on Christmas Day because it can be a pretty lonely day if you got no one to share it with.”

Last year’s meal was hosted at the Generations Church, and was more of a takeout meal format due to the pandemic, with meals being delivered to warming centres and shelters throughout Nanaimo.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow