Christmas meals delivered to Elders

Fresh bannock topped off a surprise Christmas dinner served to 49 Elders in Mishkeegogamang.
“My wife made fresh bannock the day we delivered the meals,” said Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service Senior Constable Mel Coles, who organized the preparation and delivery of the meals along with his wife Bonnie Coles.
“It was a very traditional Christmas meal; everything was made fresh right at the (Mishkeegogamang) band office.”
Mishkeegogamang Chief Connie Gray provided the band office kitchen space for preparation of the Christmas meals, which included roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, mixed vegetables, cranberries and gravy, while the Northern Store, Frontier Foods, Casuals Convenience and the Winston Motor Hotel donated the food.
Coles arranged for four of the six turkeys to be cooked by volunteers Glenda Verge, Emma Pashewan, NAPS Auxiliary Const. Michael Pelletier and NAPS Constable Kelly Marchand in their own homes the day before the meals were delivered.
“It’s imperative,” Coles said. “You can’t do it yourself. It’s far too much work.”
The Coles also cooked the other two turkeys in their own home, while about 40 pounds of potatoes, eight packages of stuffing and the gravy, cranberries and vegetables were cooked at the band office on the day of the delivery.
“My wife and I peeled all the potatoes by ourselves,” Coles said. “It ended up that we had one turkey left over after the meals were delivered, but that turkey was donated to the Missabay Community School for the school lunch program.”
Coles said the Elders were surprised when the meals were delivered to their homes by Marchand and Ontario Provincial Police Const. Diana Dauphinee.
“The police officers said they were met with a lot of smiles and handshakes — it was very well received,” Coles said. “As a police service, especially as an Aboriginal police service, it is very important that we get involved in our communities and become engaged. The reaction this year was absolutely fantastic and we’re looking forward to doing a little more next year.”
Coles and his wife also prepared Christmas meals for the Elders and shut-ins over the past five years during his previous posting in Poplar Hill.
“It’s very rewarding,” Coles said. “It’s nice to give back to the community; it’s nice for the community to see a different side of policing.”
Coles also coordinated a toy drive in partnership with members of the Pickle Lake OPP detachment and the Pickle Lake Northern Store on Dec. 17, which resulted in the delivery of 121 donated toys to Tikinagan Child and Family Services for under-privileged children and children-in-care.