Easter meal at Siloam serves up touch of home

Patrons at Siloam Mission's Easter meal got a taste of something special on Monday. 

Volunteers served the biggest holiday meal since the start of the pandemic, said communications coordinator Luke Thiessen.

"For a lot of people, this is something they might remember from childhood," he said.

"It provides something a little more special, a little more family-like, and everyone comes together to enjoy this."

On Monday, they expected to serve more than 600 meals, including traditional favourites like turkey with gravy, cranberry sauce, vegetables and bread rolls. 

People waiting for a table lined up outside the Princess Street building where the non-profit has its kitchen.

During the pandemic, meal sizes shrank as the organization shifted to providing takeout meals, but they have been steadily increasing, Thiessen said.

Serving that many meals requires a lot of hands, and volunteers spent the morning preparing the kitchen. 

"It takes a few more hands on a meal like today, a little more work, but so worth it for everybody involved," Thiessen said.

There were about two dozen volunteers preparing and serving food, and about another dozen staff helping serve at the tables, he said.