Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jill Sperling

By Jill Sperling

Colombo Cares

First Colombo Cares fundraiser exceeds expectations

Sep 18, 2019 | 4:53 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s an event that is sure to fill your stomach and your heart.

Today (Sept. 18) marked the first of many Colombo Cares — Take Home Dinners.

The Colombo Lodge has decided to support local non-profits by selling their famous Italian dinners every third Wednesday of the month from September to June.

“We tried it out on two other occasions with the Fort McMurray fires and we also tried it out with … raising funds for the Italian earthquake,” said President Ross Spina. “Both times we saw there was community interest. So we took that vision one step further and said, ‘is this something we can do on a monthly basis, and support our community, which we always have as the Colombo Lodge.'”

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Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jill Sperling

Giant portions of pasta and chicken were prepared this time around.

Each meal costs around $25 and at least $5 from every purchase will be donated to the Kamloops Hospice Association.

Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jill Sperling

“We were delighted to be able to help launch this program, and it’s just going to grow,” said Wendy Marlow, executive director of the Kamloops Hospice Association. “For us, the funds will come and will help us with our new community programs. The bonus it’s been a lot of fun down here today.”

Marlow was on site to help pass out dinner and speak with the people picking up their meals.

“The priviledge for me is to thank people for supporting Hospice and this Colombo Cares program,” she said.

Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jill Sperling

Being the first Colombo Cares event, the Lodge’s membership didn’t know what to expect. “The only expectation we had was really that people would start coming out, and that’s exceeded our expectations,” Spina said. “We’re very close to 300 dinners sold and hopefully we’ll have more sold as the day goes on.”

The event will happen every third Wednesday of the month, with a different beneficiary each time.

“October 16, always Wednesday, we’re supporting the Kamloops Art Gallery; November 20, Habitat for Humanity; and December 18 we have the SPCA,” Spina said.

Spina hopes people will mark their calendars and make this once-a-month meal a tradition for Kamloops households.

“People have to know that this is happening on a monthly basis and once they have that and they love the food I know that they’ll keep coming back.”