Around 300 people gathered at the Downtown Mission for the annual community holiday meal Wednesday afternoon.
"We do have volunteers preparing and serving the meal," said Executive Director Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin. "We've got board members, chaplaincy team members, even our councillor is here and different volunteers from the community. They are serving to each individual as they are sitting down to give them a sense of relaxation and comfort during this time of year."
Those accessing shelter services and other programming were also treated to a performance by the Gosfield North Children's Choir.
Ponniah-Goulin said as winter sets in, they are experiencing higher demand for shelter beds and more people accessing their drop-in warming space each night.
She thanks the community for their generous donations this time of year that helps the organization run services year-round.
