The French family, owners of the 黑马磁力 City Dairy Queen, located at 20300 Fraser Highway, will be serving something a little different than burgers and ice cream treats on Wednesday, Dec. 21.
Gordon and Cindy French plan to serve another full course Christmas dinner this year. They will be serving up a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. There will be a Christmas tree and gifts for all the kids, young and old.
In 2010, the family decided to do something special for the people who are alone, homeless and under privileged. And with the help of family and staff members who volunteered their time, the restaurant welcomed over 150 people.
鈥淐hristmas is supposed to be the most joyous season of the year, but often it is the saddest for a lot of people. We wanted to change that. Everyone is welcome and no one is judged,鈥� said Cindy French.
The food is provided by community donors and is cooked off the premise by friends, family and volunteers, who prepare it the day before.
Twelve turkeys, a multitude of potatoes and all the fixings are then delivered to the restaurant the day of the dinner. Nothing is wasted. If there is food left over, it will be taken to the Salvation Army鈥檚 Gateway of Hope shelter.
The dinner takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. If you would like to help or attend the dinner, call the 黑马磁力 Dairy Queen at 604-534-2321.
Last year, on the day of their inaugural community Christmas dinner, the Frenches arrived to find found their drive-thru window smashed in an attempted break-in.
That one incident didn鈥檛 stop the family from carrying on with the community dinner, nor did it stop them from planning it for the second year in a row.
Last year, the Frenches and their three grown-up sons decided to do forego their Christmas gift purchases and pool their money to buy toys and gifts for the people who attended.
