It’s a tradition that started five decades ago. In the 1970s, a group of downtown businessmen regularly got together for lunch at Peter’s Restaurant, owned by Peter and Carlos Liadis, and each time they met they’d put money in a jar. At the end of the year they’d host a party for other businessmen, serving a variety of wild game to raise money for the Salvation Army. It later grew to include the entire business community until it became too difficult to find a venue to host the event. The lunch went on hiatus for a while, but was revived about 10 years ago by Bessie and Dino Georgas, who began hosting the luncheon at Family Place Restaurant and Pizza. Now, a new guard is carrying on the tradition.
On Monday, December 4, Jenny Spring and Oliver Wolfe, the new owners of Family Place, held a luncheon for the local business community. A free lunch of roast beef, pizza, and salmon was served and all were invited to make a donation to the Salvation Army food bank in exchange. Dino and Bessie were there to help, too, with Dino in the kitchen cooking up a storm and Bessie out front to greet and serve attendees.
The community stepped up in a big way, raising almost $8,000 for the cause.
“Oliver and I just want to say we are very grateful to have had the opportunities we had growing up in this town,” said Spring. “As children, it was a safe space for us with lots of opportunities for sports, camp, music lessons, canoe trips, and theater productions. Not only our families but our community gave us everything a child should have the right to. Now, as adults, we are so grateful that Dino and Bessie are giving us the opportunity to stay in Huntsville and invest in the community and now we are able to give back.”
We are more than happy to carry on the tradition of the Salvation Army lunch so families that are in need can enjoy some of the things we were able to enjoy as children growing up in Huntsville. We are happy the community raised money for such a good cause and that the money will be going to people in our own community that are in need… Thanks to everyone who came and thanks to everyone who started this tradition and for Dino and Bessie for passing the torch over to us.
Jenny Spring, co-owner of Family Place Restaurant and Pizza
Spring added that she is happy to know that the luncheon keeps growing every year.
The Salvation Army will put those funds to good use. Although it received an estimated 60,000 pounds of non-perishable goods in the annual Project Porchlight Food Drive on December 6, the need has never been greater. With 501 individuals in more than 200 local families served by the organization’s food bank in November alone, the Huntsville Salvation Army’s Major Darren Wiseman predicts the food gathered will only last into late summer of 2018. Having money available to fill in the gaps when donations fall short allows the Salvation Army to continue providing food for local families year round.
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Andrew MacLeod says
It is nice to see the business community of Huntsville coming together to help the needy, especially at this time of year.
I would like to suggest that we can ALL make a difference if we set our minds to it.
I have an idea:
Recently we realized at the Independent Grocery Store that we had a points credit of over $500 built up over a few years. We decided that we would like to donate this amount in the form of gift certificates to the food bank. However, there is a store policy that prohibits the exchange of points for gift certificates, apparently due to some previous illegalities. Instead, we wrote a cheque to the Salvation Army and used up the points over the next few weeks. Mission accomplished.
Where I am going with this is to suggest a “Points Week” for Huntsville around this time each year. We would all do the same thing at whatever store we collect points or credits like Canadian Tire for example. Write a cheque to the Salvation Army during “Huntsville Points Week”, and then go do your shopping at that vendor to use up your points.
We can all join in with our vendors as a community to help the needy and support a good cause.
All we need is someone with organizational skills to get it going for 2018.
Sharon Stahls says
Nice to read about these local kids staying in the community and giving back. I know your parents are very proud as well as those who watched you grow up.
Good Job You Two – Merry Christmas.
Susan Magee says
What a great idea Andrew! I certainly wouldn’t take on that organizational job but I know what I CAN do. I can stop using my points when they are redeemable at Independant, Air Miles at Metro, Canadian tire, put aside the money from returned bottles, etc and write a cheque in December to the Salvation Army for the value of the accumulated points and money in the jar.. I will then go on a spending spree and spend all those points! It will feel like a free month of food and Christmas gifts! If we all did that, what a difference it would make. I’m on board. Who else is with me?