St. Aidan’s Church continues Beach tradition by hosting Christmas Day Lunch for community members

By AMARACHI AMADIKE, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

When Quigley’s Pub first approached the Anglican Church of St. Aidan’s in the Beach to help them host a Christmas Day Lunch for community residents, congregation members had no idea the church would ensure the tradition which began in the 1990s would be carried on for decades to come.

What started as just a simple provision of providing the necessary space where the lunch could be hosted, as well as “setting up tables”, has now evolved into St. Aidan’s adopting a leading role in the initiative since Quigley’s closed.

“Over the years, it got to the point where we were also helping serve and contributing pastries and desserts,” said Michael van Dusen, the Christmas Day Lunch organizer. “So it grew from that.”

Since the early 2000s, St. Aidan’s has continued the now more than 25-year-old tradition of hosting Christmas lunches at the Queen Street East church for residents who are missing the companionship of loved ones during the holidays.

“What we want to do is celebrate the event of Christmas joyfully with people by offering a meal,” said Van Dusen.

Through the years, St. Aidan’s has proven to be persistent in its mission to serve community members during the Christmas season.

Although the church was unable to host the lunch at its own site due to renovations during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 110 meals were still cooked at St. Nicholas Anglican and delivered to All Saints church by volunteers in order to keep the tradition alive.

The following year, when All Saints couldn’t accommodate the event, St. Aidan’s opted to provide Christmas lunch for about 15 residents at Restorative Justice Housing Ontario who had no other options on the day, highlighting the idea that no amount of generosity is too small. St. Aidan’s provided residents at Restorative Justice Housing Ontario with Christmas lunches again in 2022 although the church’s renovations were now completed.

“Last year, we were still figuring out how to use the church,” said Van Dusen. “We didn’t have all the equipment that we needed to do all the cooking.”

This year, the church will once again host its “Quigley-style” Christmas lunch back at its location on 2423 Queen St. E., at Silver Birch Avenue, with meals being served at 1 p.m.

Van Dusen told Beach Metro Community News that the church is gearing up to serve about 80 to 90 residents.

“It’s been really exciting,” he said. “There are a number of people in the community who have volunteered to come serve the meals. It feels like a really good way to celebrate Christmas.”

The Christmas Day Lunch at St. Aidan’s is being sponsored by community businesses including Cobbs Bakery which will be supplying the bread. Your Independent Grocer has also supplied organizers with gift cards for shopping for the meal. Van Dusen said that the remainder of expenses will be covered through the church’s “outreach budget”.

With Toronto residents suffering through an affordability crisis, initiatives such as the Christmas lunch go a long way to meeting pressing needs within communities.

However, Van Dusen says that although meeting these needs is a welcome byproduct of hosting these lunches, the main idea is to bring people together during the holiday season.

“More than the food, it’s about the importance of community and being welcomed and having someone to talk to and celebrate with on this particular day,” said Van Dusen.

Emphasizing that sociability is just as important as nutrition, St. Aidan’s will continue hosting weekly dinners after the holiday season. According to Van Dusen, this will begin on Jan. 8.

Anyone who would like to partake in the Christmas Day Lunch is asked to please contact the church in advance so organizers can know the numbers to be expected by calling 416-691-222.

Anyone who would like information on volunteering on Christmas Day, or to make a donation towards the event,  is encouraged to call 416-691-2222 or email donations@staidansinthebeach.com

– Amarachi Amadike is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Beach Metro Community News. His reporting is funded by the Government of Canada through its Local Journalism Initiative.