Edmonton Muslim Youth Raise Funds To Help Save New Year's Dinner For Homeless

The Bissell Centre has been holding this dinner for over 25 years, serving people in need, particularly the city's homeless community members. It provides a warm turkey dinner to over 1000 people each year, complete with holiday stockings for everyone.  In 2015, the dinner saw a spike in attendance due to the downturn in Alberta's economy.

The dinner almost didn't happen last year, as the Bisselll Centre was unable to find a catering partner. After their call-out, many Edmonton companies offered support.

In order to help make sure there were no problems this year, youth at Al Rashid mosque committed to fundraising throughout the year for the event through BBQs, bottle drives, bake goods sales, and soliciting donations from local businesses.

The Bissell Centre began in 1910 as a project of the Methodist Christian community in order to support the settlement of Ukrainian immigrants. Now, the Bissell Centre offers services for all people in need, particularly those living in Edmonton's inner city. These services included housing supports, mental health services, early childhood development services, and employment services.

The Bissell Centre thanked the Al Rashid Youth Club for their efforts on their social media on December 20th.

To learn more about the Bissell Centre, visit here