Vancouver resident Evelyn Florendo is preparing her annual Christmas dinner at Burnaby’s youth prison, and she’s hoping some kind soul will donate pizza, a culinary favourite among the teens.
This year’s dinner takes place on Friday, Dec. 18, at 5:30 p.m. at the Burnaby Youth Services Custody Centre.
Florendo, 79, has been organizing the event for more than three decades with a group of volunteers. They put on a Christmas dinner for the incarcerated youth, some of whom have no visitors for the holidays because they’re either too estranged from family or simply too far from home. Florendo also invites Arch Bishop Michael Miller, and former politicians Glen Clark and Bill Vander Zalm. She gives all the teens a gift bag and a hug and says, “I love you.”
For years, Florendo has been trying to get someone else to take the torch, and this year, Roger Bissoondatt, the chief financial officer at the B.C. Liquor Distribution branch, is in charge or organizing the dinner. The kids get a full, proper Christmas meal, but one of the more popular options is pizza.
If anyone is willing to donate pizza for the kids, email Roger at [email protected] or call 604-803-8394.
