The Kiwanis Club hosted its annual Christmas supper Wednesday afternoon to give Hatters who may not have any Holiday plans the opportunity to enjoy a warm meal and company.-- NEWS PHOTO JEREMY APPEL
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
The Medicine Hat Kiwanis Club hosted its annual afternoon Christmas dinner Wednesday, providing some food and company for those who had nowhere to go for the Holidays, or simply wanted a free meal.
“You can see a lot of people with their happy faces,” said John John, a long-time Kiwanis Club member who serves as the co-ordinator for the Christmas supper.
“There are so many who are lonely and this is an opportunity for them to come out. Some of them are ashamed to say they’re lonely. We get a tremendous number of people coming. Some come every year.”
Barry Finkelman, a Kiwanis Club member of 30 years and past president, was one of many community members spending their Christmas afternoon volunteering as a server.
“We do this every year because there’s a need in the community,” said Finkelman. “People who don’t have a place to be and simply want to be with other people.”
This fits well with the spirit of the season, as well as the Kiwanis mandate of serving others, he added.
“All the service clubs do the same sort of thing. Our goal is to provide service to the community where traditional models don’t work,” Finkelman said.
“This time of year people are in need. They’re in need of companionship and in need of the common things we take for granted – a place to be, camaraderie and some good food on a day like this.”
Betty Bischke and Bill desBarres provided musical entertainment for the event, leading attendees in a sing-along of Christmas classics.
DesBarres has been playing the supper since its inception 40 years ago, while Bischke has been doing it for 18 years.
Music works on “two levels” with an audience, desBarres says.
“One is when they hear it, they listen, and think about some of the words and the title. The other one is if they participate and sing – whether they sing loudly or softly,” he said. “There’s something about live music that when it’s shared, it helps people feel better.”
Bischke called music an “international language,” which “unites people.”
This is especially evident during the Holiday season, with songs like Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red-nosed Raindeer etched in our collective consciousness, she said.
“With a group of people, those are the songs that everybody knows. There’s no other place where you can get people singing together, except with Christmas carols because that’s all in our long-term memories,” said Bischke.
