Pugwash Harbour Fest, Pugwash Communities in Bloom, Pugwash Open Hamper Food Bank, and other organizations are banding together to put on a completely free community Christmas day dinner at the Pugwash Fire Department.
“It’s like a big social party, really. Some people bring their children. Some people come with visitors. Everybody’s welcome,” said Louise Haycocks, co-organizer of the event.
The meal is funded completely through donations from the Municipality of Colchester, the Village of Pugwash and contributions from the public.
There’s a big emphasis on supporting local food, and all food that can be sourced locally is.
“Our turkeys come from a local farm. Our cranberry sauce is made by a local person who sells at the farmer’s market. Our vegetables also come from a local farmer’s market supplier. Bread comes from our local bakery,” noted Haycocks.
What can’t be sourced locally is purchased through the Pugwash Co-op.
“It has supported this right from the beginning and they often donate as well. So they’ve been amazing supporters. I was talking to the manager yesterday and the board is very keen to support it,” she said.
Everything is done by local volunteers. The day of Christmas Eve begins with a peeling party where everyone is invited to the fire hall to peel potatoes and turnips, chop carrots and do whatever needs to be done in preparation.
According to Haycocks, they see about 40-50 volunteers for this part alone each year. On Christmas morning the turkeys are put in the ovens in big roasting pans provided by the fire hall by volunteers while the rest of the food is prepared for the dinner.
“A small group comes together and does the cooking, then more volunteers come in and we have servers, we have table clearers, we have coffee pourers, apple cider pourers, and so on . . . The local elementary schools, and we have three in the immediate area: Northport, Wallace and Sunrise in Pugwash, provide the table decorations and wall decorations,” she explained.
Pull Quote
“Our turkeys come from a local farm. Our cranberry sauce is made by a local person who sells at the farmer’s market. Our vegetables also come from a local farmer’s market supplier. Bread comes from our local bakery.”
— Louise Haycocks
This iteration of the Pugwash Community Christmas Dinner will be the fourth annual, and it came about due to issues raised during the lockdowns.
“It’s a social and the idea of it came after COVID,” said Haycocks.
“It was recognized that loneliness was considered one of the major health problems facing a lot of people. And so it came out of that. So it’s a community dinner that anybody can come to. We encourage all volunteers to stay and eat or eat before they volunteer.”
Haycocks said if anyone was interested in making desserts for the dinner this year, they can contact her though the Pugwash Community Christmas Dinner FaceBook page or by calling her at 902-694-3880.
Dining and Cooking