Local man organizes dinner for those in need

Dec 8, 2017 | 10:04 AM

A local man has organized a special dinner for those in need again this year.

The Grande Prairie Charity Dinner will be held this afternoon which is put together by Gord Pankratz. Last year, it was held at Revolution Place and welcomed about 450 people to the celebration. This year the event will be held at the Friendship Centre with a guestlist of about 150.

“It started out four years ago when I was talking to some of the homeless and people at the Rotary House soup kitchen. I asked them if they could tell me one thing they would like the city to know about them, and most of the people wanted others to know that they matter,” said Pankratz.

In addition to the dinner served from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., there will be haircuts, massages, reflexology, and live music for those attending.

“All the smiles and joy makes all the work that I do worth it. In September, I stopped by the soup kitchen to visit. I wasn’t actually going to do [the event] this year because I was struggling. A guy came up to me and he was so excited and said ‘Gord, Gord, are you going to do another dinner again?’ I said no, and he almost started crying, so I said fine, I’ll do it.”

Pankratz puts the planning into motion in September of every year when he approaches businesses for sponsorship. This year the costs were down significantly, according to the organizer, it cost close to $20,000 last year and it was around $2500 for 2017.

There are plans for the event to continue next year, but Pankratz isn’t sure of the size it will be.

by Justine Kelsie