Christmas Party Packs Fenlon Center
By Paul Gingras

Thursday, December 21, Santa Claus and Matthew Rogers of St. Ignace pose for a photograph after discussing Christmas present possibilities, during the well attended Meals on Wheels fundraiser at the Community Action Agency.

“We all came together because of volunteerism,” said Donn Riley, senior services director for Chippewa, Luce, and Mackinac counties, at the St. Ignace Community Action Agency Christmas Party, which packed the Reagon Street Fenlon Center facility Thursday, December 21. In a jovial atmosphere, members of the public, local politicians, and volunteers contributed $5 for dinner, benefiting the Meals on Wheels senior citizen nutrition program.

Meals are prepared at the facility all year. Meals on Wheels served more than 32,000 meals last year to 900 senior citizens in Cedarville, Curtis, Engadine, and St. Ignace.

“We send in our taxes in April, and this is how they come back,” said Mary Nichols of St. Ignace, an organizer of the event, gesturing to the sizable facility, which also houses a Head Start program.

Despite the successful programs associated with the facility, it remains underutilized, she added, which was one of the reasons the agency decided to hold the Christmas party.

Santa and Mrs. Claus pose with the oldest and youngest participants at the Community Action Meals on Wheels fundraiser Thursday, December 21. Pictured here are Mabel Pechta, 95, of Moran, and seven-week-old Jesse Dean Rooney, son of Ashley Rooney.

“This is the place to be tonight,” she told The St. Ignace News.

Meals on Wheels provides two hot meals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for people older than 60 with mobility problems.

“It allows people to maintain their independence,” Mr. Riley said. Meals on Wheels helps seniors continue to live in their homes and avoid moving into institutions, he said. Proceeds from the St. Ignace dinner will supplement the program’s federal funding.

Before dinner, Wayne Foote of Glen Memorial Baptist Church in St. Ignace led attendees in prayer, reminding the public to think about the Christian roots of Christmas, which he said are often forgotten during the holiday’s festivities.

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived and made their rounds, talking to the young children and adults who attended. Meanwhile, volunteers

from LaSalle High School served meals and took photographs. Mayor Paul Grondin, City Manager Eric Dodson, members of the city council, county commissioners, and State Representative Gary McDowell attended, along with several residents of the Long Term Care Facility at Mackinac Straits Hospital and Health Center, and seniors who receive meals from the Meals on Wheels program.

The event was the result of two weeks of planning, Ms. Nichols said. It was promoted by 31 sponsors, including local residents and businesses.