For the second year in a row, Tom and Michelle Lam threw open the doors of their Old Iron Horse Restaurant on 2014 New Year’s Day for a free lunch to all those who wanted to respond to the invitation.
The 2013 event was conceived of as a goodwill gesture, but this year it had a different focus.
“Two Thanksgivings ago, my uncle passed away and our family was very sad and we couldn’t go back home to be with them. So we wanted to do something that would make us feel good,” is how Tom explained the idea of offering new year day’s free lunches to townspeople first came about.
But this year’s event was designed with a more specific goal in mind: raising money for the Ermineskin elementary school playground.
“We have a customer and we developed a very close relationship with her over time,” explained Lam.
“She used to work at Ermineskin Elementary School but now she has retired. She liked the school and her job so much that we thought we could show our respect to her dedication by supporting the school.”
There was no minimum amount of donation requested and everyone was welcome without the condition of having to make a contribution.
Some 120 guests filled the restaurant beginning at 11 a.m. in the morning with the majority being seniors, some of them transported to the restaurant thanks to the services of the Ponoka Wheelchair Van Transport Society.
“It was the same number of guests as last year, “ said Lam.
The total of $740 raised through the donations will be passed over to the Ermineskin Elementary School.