Westlinks Executive Chef Richard Laurie handed over $4,713 to Salvation Army Pastor Donna Kennedy following a successful Christmas buffet dinner held December 20 at The Club at Westlinks.

Hub Staff

A Christmas styled buffet at The Club at Westlinks December 20 raised over $4,713 for the local Salvation Army Food Bank.

The dinner, organized by Westlinks Executive Chef Richard Laurie, served 236 people who took part in two free sittings that included a roast of beef, turkey, eight salads and 15 different desserts.

Chef Laurie said that on Wednesday nights Westlinks normally serves a popular buffet dinner where seniors can dine for half price but in order to accommodate Christmas parties through December, the usual Wednesday buffet ceased for the month.

Laurie saw an opportunity to offer one more buffet as a thank you to Westlinks patrons while those choosing to dine were asked to donate what they could to the local food bank. Laurie joked that when he asked Santa Claus if he was on the nice or naughty list this year, he was informed that he wasn’t on any list. “So I thought I’d better figure something out,” he said before presenting Salvation Army Pastor Donna Kennedy with the donation.

Kennedy said that funds will go towards maintaining the Salvation Army Food Bank supplies into the new year. “At Christmas we get a lot and that’s great, but we need to last throughout the whole year so we will use it towards food and whatever we need,” said Kennedy, adding that they will also purchase fresh vegetables, cheese, milk, and yogurt.