'We're fighting together': Community feast brings Christmas spirit and gifts to everyone in Churchill

With the closure of the railway into Churchill this spring — the only land link into the northern community — it's been a tough year for the northern Manitoba town.

That's why Helen McEwan wanted to give residents a reason to celebrate this holiday season.

The longtime Churchill resident organized a community feast for everyone in town Saturday and the day started off with a visit from Santa Claus, who brought a present for every single young person in the community.

"Because of the struggles that we've been facing lately, it seems like — especially for the last couple of months — we keep hearing bad news," McEwan told CBC News Saturday morning as she helped prepare enough meatballs, cabbage rolls, perogies, and turkey to feed 500 people.

"So today it's important that we come together as a community and celebrate something to look forward to and the joy and the friendship of each other. We need to come together and give each other support and compassion and that's happening." 

The feast grew from an idea to hold a turkey dinner for roughly 100 people, eventually becoming a giant meal for literally everyone in Churchill and a day-long celebration filled with family activities, including Inuit games, swimming, bowling, and bouncy castles.

Hampers were also prepared for everybody in the community, says McEwan.

"Everybody in the community got something, every single household," she said. "It's something for everybody, because we're all feeling the crunch of the rail line not being here."

McEwan says donations came from local businesses and others in the community, as well as Winnipeggers and Winnipeg businesses. 

"It makes me feel really proud that the people in Manitoba really care about us and the people in Churchill now are feeling that caring," she said. "Despite what our challenges are right now we're making positive things happen here in Churchill.

"Churchill people are coming together to make this happen for us, for each other, and tell the world that we're not desperate or desolate or anything — we're just fighting one of the hardships that we face — and we're fighting together."