A celebration of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year took place at AVENS’s Baker Centre on Saturday evening, and the Yellowknife Women’s Society (YKWS) was the big beneficiary.
Hosted by the Yellowknife International Culinary Club, the event not only attracted close to 60 people to taste the Sinhalese cuisine, but also served as a fundraiser for the women’s society.
“Should they have more money, they could expand their services or find new ways to approach problems,” said Janaki Balakrishnan, one of the volunteers with the club.
Participants registered at the entrance of the facility and paid $40 for the cuisine. A total of $2,320 was raised in ticket sales, and auctioned snacks raised another $455. Balakrishnan stated that all the funds raised, aside from expenses, will go to YKWS.
She said the preparation for the event started several weeks ago. The club started with a group of culinary enthusiasts, aiming to share food from different cultures with others.
Shauna Morgan, MLA for Yellowknife North, expressed her excitement for the event, saying that it provided a chance to bring people together from all communities, to support local non-profit organizations and to learn about new cultures around the world.
Garett Cochrane, the city’s deputy mayor, also attended the event.
“I think this is amazing. It is heartening to see that our community has become more and more diverse as the years go on,” he said.
He recalled memories of growing up in the city and mentioned that his family has been involved with the YKWS for many years, as his aunt was the CEO of the organization. The society holds a very special place in his heart, he said.
Cochrane is looking forward to seeing the club become an institution in the city and to host this type of event annually.
He added that the municipality is working on an assessment of the YKWS’s Street Outreach program, and funding should be available next year.
Renee Sanderson, YKWS’s executive director, appreciated the initiative that the club put forth.
“The money raised from this will go to the women’s centre,” she said. “We are always in need of toiletries, clothing and food, which is a big part of our work because we distribute food hampers every Friday. That’s where the funds will go, to our social supply.”