Christmas can be a tough time for many people so this year the O’Neill and Bowes family has a plan to make Christmas a little more cheery. They will host a free Christmas dinner for people who would otherwise be alone or without a meal on December 25.
The dinner will come complete with holiday music and decorations. “We’ll go in and put linens on the tables and dress it up with poinsettias and make it all Christmassy,” said David Bowes, owner of Laughing Oyster Restaurant. Bowes added he plans to bring in live music and have wood on hand for the fireplace.
He hopes to serve over 100 people on Christmas Day at Powell River Community Resource Centre on Joyce Avenue. Two seatings will be offered, one at 4 pm and the other at 6 pm. He will prepare all the food in his restaurant’s kitchen and then bring it down to the hall for the meals.
“This [meal] is for anyone that doesn’t have someone around them to celebrate Christmas with or doesn’t have the funds to have a Christmas dinner,” said Bowes. “Whatever the situation, it’s open and completely free.”
The only thing Bowes asked is that guests phone ahead to be put on a guest list.
Bowes has invited guests, mostly local men who are alone, for Christmas dinner with his family before but this year he and his wife Patty O’Neill decided they could do more.
“We have the wherewithal and we’ve got lots of family visiting,” he said. “We thought we could make a useful contribution to the community.”
As seating is limited, reservations should be made as soon as possible by calling 604.483.9775.
