Snow and carols might be far from most people’s minds, but a Halifax shelter was all about the Yuletide spirit on Thursday.
Souls Harbour Rescue Mission hosted Christmas in July, providing a summertime-spin to the winter holiday for its guests.
“Christmas is our favourite holiday so any excuse to celebrate it twice,” said Michelle Porter, CEO of Souls Harbour. “It’s also a great break from a long summer for a lot of our guests.
“A lot of the challenges for the people we serve… it’s a real difference between what you and I might celebrate this summer. There are no opportunities to go to the beach and have a traditional summer holiday so we provide a little bit of a celebration. It’s a break out from the heat and it’s a special meal.”
Instead of a traditional Christmas meal, Souls Harbour offers pulled pork sandwiches, chips, pickles, and other summery items.
“We’ve had volunteers write Christmas cards for every person and they all get new socks,” Porter said. “The fact we filled up shows the importance of the event.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jim Kvammen
