Free Christmas dinners will continue after sponsors donate $12,000

Three free dinners held on Christmas Day will continue after sponsors donated $12,000 this week.

The annual event organized by Thrive Outreach Foundation was in jeopardy this year when founder Elaine Dyrberg learned one sponsor came up short, leaving the nonprofit in need of $15,000.

With help from three sponsors and a GoFundMe page, $12,000 was raised this week, enough to offer Christmas Day dinners at Fusion Fellowship church, Boyle Street Community Services, and the Hazeldean Community Hall.

"I was blown away. I just I just couldn't believe it," Dyrberg said. "I'm very grateful ... I cried. Honestly I was so shocked."

The foundation is still about $3,000 short, but there's enough to cover food, catering, and rentals.

"There is odds and ends that you do miss out on. It's $3,000 short, but it's not enough that it's going to harm me."

Dyrberg will continue to accept donations up until Christmas Day.

At two Christmas dinners last year, 4,300 meals were served and 300 gifts were given to children, Dyrberg said.

Travis.mcewan@cbc.ca