It was controlled chaos in the kitchen of the St. Philip's Anglican Church in Moncton, N.B., Tuesday morning.
Longtime volunteer Warrenne Agnew was overseeing the preparation for her last holiday meal for the students and staff at nearby Beaverbrook School.
Agnew, or Mrs. Claus as the staff at Beaverbrook call her, has been in charge of the turkey dinner for 15 years, and on the school’s breakfast club for 27.
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Now in her late 80s, she’s decided to retire from the breakfast club in June, so this year’s turkey dinner was her last at the school.
“All good things got to come to an end. I’ve given my time I feel and now I have other interests,” said Agnew. “And I’m needed at home now too.”
Julie Silliker, Beaverbrook’s acting principal, said people like Agnew make the world a better place.
“She continues to show up. She continues to smile. She is a retired kindergarten teacher. So, every year she puts on her Christmas outfit, Mrs. Claus, and she just gives of herself,” said Silliker. “She does all of the organizing. She makes it so that over 320 students can have access to a turkey dinner this holiday season.”
Agnew joined the school’s breakfast club almost three decades ago because she didn’t want to see children come to school hungry.
“The body really needs it. Any of us, we need to have food for fuel and a lot of these children were not having this. There was a lot of absentees. There was a lot of headaches. There was a lot of not being able to concentrate and such. They just needed this extra,” said Agnew.
The food for Tuesday’s meal was provided by local organizations and through donations from generous sponsors.
The turkeys are cooked and frozen in advance and the parishioners put it all together under Agnew’s watch.
Members of the Codiac Regional RCMP then delivered the 400 hot meals to the school and brought them to the tables in the gym for the kids.
There was even halal meals prepared for Beaverbrook’s Muslim children.
Agnew said she does it for the children knowing that not everyone can afford to make a big holiday dinner at home.
“Costs are rising here in New Brunswick and really across our country,” said school counselor Amber Lewis. “There’s a lot of families, working class families, who are not able to provide an expensive turkey meal. So, the fact that we’re able to do this here at this school I think is not only meaningful for our students, but our community as a whole.”
Grade 8 student Etan Gomez said it feels amazing to have a holiday meal delivered to them.
“I would like to give a thank you to all the volunteers that took their time to come and feed us,” said Etan. “It was great. It was really tender and the mashed potatoes were really juicy and soft.”
The biggest reward for the retired kindergarten teacher is seeing the smiles on the students’ faces.
“When I step into this room to see all these children and how happy they are and everything I am just thrilled. I grow I’m sure 10-feet tall and maybe even 10-feet wide,” said Agnew. “I can’t express the marvelous feeling I have with these children. And yes, I’m going to miss it.”
A proper holiday sendoff for Beaverbrook’s beloved Mrs. Claus.
