St. Charles Parish Roman Catholic Church, 320 St. Charles Street in Winnipeg. PHOTO: Eva Arsenault
A fall supper is a tradition which brings people together to have a delicious home-cooked meal, to meet friends and neighbours and to catch up on all the news.
Every year more than 150 volunteers offer their services for the St. Charles Parish Harvest Supper. In the weeks prior to the supper, parishioners will be busy advertising the event, selling tickets, cleaning the kitchen, buying groceries, and decorating the hall.
Over 65 pounds of cabbage needs to be shredded for coleslaw and 60 pounds of bread cubed for turkey stuffing. Over 400 pounds of turkey will be roasted to feed as many as 600 adults and children. New friends are made and old friends are reacquainted during a marathon of peeling 250 pounds of potatoes.
“The fall supper is hard work but it is fun to do,” says Fran Blanchard, one of the regular volunteers. “It gives me a chance to meet people from my parish I don’t know because they attend Mass at a different time. It’s great to meet new people and do something good for the parish.”
People of all ages come to help. In some cases, whole families volunteer the day of the supper. Many of the volunteers are seniors who have helped host the fall suppers for over 30 years.
Good food along with great friends and neighbours make Fall Suppers fun. PHOTO: Eva Arsenault
There are also grade four students from St. Charles Catholic School, across the street from the church, who will wrap cutlery and help to set tables. Their teacher, Aneta Prettie commented, ” The students enjoy helping in their parish and learn that Christian service is part of their role in the community.”
Building camaraderie and teamwork, this event invites volunteers to unite and work toward a common goal. Besides earning funds for the parish, this event strengthens trust, solidarity and reciprocity among St. Charles parishioners. That’s a tradition worth keeping alive.
This year the supper is on Sun. Sep. 27. For more information and tickets call Meg 204-837-7157 or the church office 204-889-3248.
The long standing tradition of St. Charles Catholic Parish Fall Supper keeps Winston Morier (left) and John Prendergast coming back every year. PHOTO: Eva Arsenault
