NGFC provides drive-thru community feast

Reeti Meenakshi Rohilla - Staff Writer

The Nishnawbe-Gamik Friendship Centre (NGFC) provided 365 people with dinner through their annual community feast on December 3. This year’s feast took place as a drive-thru event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NGFC Executive Director Jennifer Thomas shared, “The drive-thru feast was a great success considering this approach was unlike anything we’ve done. Thinking of innovative ways of service delivery in order to support our community has been a challenge during COVID-19, and the feast was no exception.”
Turkey, mashed potatoes, macaroni salad, vegetables, ham, and bannock were served for the feast. Thomas shared, “It also included individually packaged mini pies for dessert. We requested that people RSVP for the feast to give us an approximate number of dinners that we needed to prepare. The NGFC delivered meals to over 40 Elders, tenants and staff of the Sioux Lookout Supportive Housing Complex and Out of the Cold Shelter. The remainder of the meals were given out via drive-thru or walk-ins,” said Thomas.
Several NGFC staff helped direct traffic and ensure safety protocols. Thomas shared, “By using this method we could ensure that we maintained social distancing between staff, clients and all those involved. The staff did an amazing job preparing and distributing the meals and I offer a Chii Meegwetch for their continued dedications and relentless efforts.”