'It warms the heart': Siloam Mission serves Christmas dinner to hundreds

Siloam Mission served up its annual Christmas meal Friday to hundreds of guests at its downtown shelter.

"We were prepared for 700, but definitely this is fuller than we expected," Luke Thiessen, the communications manager with Siloam Mission, told CTV News. "I expect today will be one of our busiest meals in a long time."

Thiessen said the event was weeks in the making, from planning the menu to coordinating with volunteers.

This year's main course was meatballs thanks to a donation of 250 pounds of ground beef served alongside mashed potatoes, veggies, and slices of pie in a restaurant-style setting.

Thiessen said the meal is a highlight of the year- for Siloam Mission's staff, volunteers, and guests.

"Every one of our holiday meals feels like a special time," he said. "But especially, people are dressed up, we've got a choir singing. It warms the heart to see the gratitude that people have when we're able to serve them this meal, do something special, sit down and enjoy kind of family-style. It's a really wonderful event and a nice time for everyone involved."

Siloam Mission expects to serve more than 1,000 meals before the New Year.