Hundreds turn up for free Christmas dinner organized by Winnipeg veteran

Families showed up in droves Saturday for a free meal and gift from Santa Claus, as part of a holiday event organized by a Winnipeg veteran.

Earlier this month, Trevor Sanderson set out to bring back some Christmas spirit to his community. His plan – camp out on the corner of Main Street and Higgins Avenue in sub-zero temperatures to collect donations for those in need.

After a week in a tent, Sanderson, who served with the PPCLI, managed to muster up enough to provide food and toys to families and children, free of cost.

“The smiles that are on the kids’ faces, the people in the community, this is incredible,” Sanderson said in an interview with CTV News Saturday.

Sanderson said he grew up going to events like the one he organized and wanted to give the next generation something to remember.

I’m one person, I just fed 400 people,” he said. “And you know, if everybody tried to make a little bit of a difference, imagine what this community could actually turn out.”

Sanderson also said he was grateful for the overwhelming support from community members and local businesses, adding that he’s hopeful similar family events will pop up in the near future.

- With files from CTV's Danton Unger.