OLDS — Organizers need about 30 more volunteers to help make the 39th annual Henry Sonnenberg Memorial Christmas Day Supper run smoothly.
The event is being held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #105 again after being in the Pomeroy Inn & Suites last year.
This year’s edition will be held Dec. 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. People can dine in -- there’ll be three separate sittings -- or they can obtain a takeout meal. Both dine-in and takeout services will follow provincial COVID-19 regulations.
Home delivery is available for shut-ins. Call Alan at 403-507-5204.
Masks are mandatory at the event – both for volunteers and patrons. Hand sanitizer is available too.
Each Dec. 25 for 37 years, local restauranteur and businessman Henry Sonnenberg cooked a Christmas dinner in Olds for people who were alone, shut in, destitute or who couldn’t cook their own meal.
He received help from local businesses, the Lions Club of Olds and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #105, especially in the last couple of years before he passed away in 2017.
After Sonneberg died, the Lions Club and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #105 partnered to carry on the tradition with help from many volunteers. They’re proud to be co-sponsors of the event again this year.
On Dec. 25, 2015, in honour of all his efforts, town officials presented Sonnenberg with a picture of 50th Avenue, where his bakery was once located.
“With the economy struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic, together with other market failures, we are anticipating a greater need than ever for this event,” Marty Konsmo of the Lions Club wrote in a letter to Mountain View Publishing.
Organizer Linda Anderson says there’s a desperate need for about 30 more volunteers to ensure the event runs properly.
“I know due to the COVID, people are a little nervous about coming out, but the Legion abides by all the COVID protocols so it’s fairly safe,” she said during an interview.
Volunteers are needed for three different shifts: from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Anderson said in previous years, organizers were able to simply set out juice or coffee and allow patrons to help themselves. That’s not allowed this year. They must be served. Tables have to be sanitized afterward as well.
All that has created an even greater need for volunteers, Anderson indicated.
“We’d need at least, minimum, 10 people per shift to do the service,” she said.
Anderson said all the volunteers have to be vaccinated and must have a QR code to provide proof of vaccination or proof of having received a negative PCR within 72 hours of the event.
If you can volunteer that day, call Linda at 403-556-3896.
