Free Christmas dinner in Georgetown moves to Souris

For two years, Melvin Ford has held a free Christmas Day dinner in Georgetown, but this year he's moving it to Souris in the hopes he can serve even more people.

In 2015, Ford was going to be alone for Christmas, so he decided to invite anyone to come for a free dinner at the Kings Playhouse in Georgetown. It didn't matter if you were rich or poor, just that you were looking for friends on Christmas Day.

The response was overwhelming — he and 40 volunteers served 125 people not only from Georgetown but from around the Island. Last year, it grew to 50 volunteers and 145 people served.

But this year, Georgetown won't be host to the dinner. Ford says he's going to hold it closer to his family in Souris.

Serving more people

With the move to a larger community, Ford is hoping to serve even more guests this Christmas Day. Ford's goal is to serve 200 people and he's already received major donations of food from Islanders.

There's disappointment in Georgetown over the move, but Ford is still looking to give back to the local community. On Dec. 20, he's holding a free dinner for seniors with food, Santa and some entertainment.

Ford said he can't get enough volunteers to help out on Christmas Eve and the day itself. But it's more than just cooking and serving food, it's about socializing and meeting new people, he said.

"When you see people come in by themselves, the whole thing I'm trying to avoid is people feeling alone," Ford said. "So I stress to our volunteers, go sit with them, talk with them, laugh with them, tell stories… let them have a Christmas they can't get anywhere else."

This year's dinner will be held at St. Mary's Parish Hall on Christmas Day from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

People wishing to volunteer, donate or attend the dinner can call Ford at 902-808-8969.

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