Many newcomers shared on of their first winter holiday meals at Immigrant Centre on Saturday, December 10. Families gathered to eat, talk and open gifts at the event.
Gina Lizarazo attended with her husband and daughter. “It’s good, especially for our daughter, because we have no family here. It’s good for her to be around other kids.”
A magician performed before Santa arrived to hand out gifts to the children.
“We want to provide a safe and fun atmosphere for peopl.,” said Etiene Serpa, organizer and Director of Settlement Services. “It’s a growing community, so we think it’s important to make people feel welcome.”
The event started at 1 p.m. and lasted until about 3:30 p.m. The Centre served a meal of pasta, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, ham and desert. Attendees ate at long tables and had the chance to talk while they ate.
Magician Cary Tardi entertained the children as parents finished their meals. He asked for volunteers and had a couple children help him with magic tricks before handing out balloon animals.
Then Santa entered the room, greeted some kids and started handing out gifts. Children were called up by their first names to get their gifts from Santa.
“We got here in September, so this is a good time for us,” said Lizarazo.
