On June 19, around 180 Pontiac residents gathered at Stark’s Corner United Church in Shawville for the Pontiac County Women’s Institute’s annual summer supper.

Hosted by the Pontiac Women’s Institute, the event served as an opportunity for locals to get together for some good food while raising money for the charity organization.

According to the organization’s President Beryl Smart, the event used to consist of a strawberry feast around 40 years ago but things changed because circumstances didn’t always play in the event’s favour.

“We couldn’t always count on strawberries,” she said. “So, now it’s just a summer supper.”

With large crowds of people packing every portion of the room, the event consisted of a buffet-style supper with all kinds of great food available.

From mouth-watering meats to sweet and savoury pastries and desserts, attendees indulged on servings of turkey, roasted beef and a bevy of salads among other delights before enjoying some delicious homemade pies courtesy of local donors.

After waiting for everyone to take their seats, Smart opened the event with a word of welcome, including brief introduction to the history of the event and what it means to the institute.

With the big buffet set-up on tables just outside the kitchen, attendees lined up for the feast as fast as they could hoping to pick out the best-looking cuts available.

As the organization’s only fundraiser of the year, Smart believes the event is very important to vitality of the organization.

“We sponsor many causes in the community and many charities,” she said.

For Smart, the event is important for the municipality and surrounding communities as it draws people from all over the region year after year.

“We seem to get a lot of people out,” she said. “They seem to look forward to it. We serve about 150, maybe up to 200 [people].”

All the meat was purchased by members of the organization, while the majority of the food on hand was provided via local donors, Smart said.

All the money raised from the event will be dedicated to community initiatives, Smart said.

Locals Bruce and Kay Armitage pose for a photo during the event.

Register or subscribe to read this content

Thanks for stopping by! This article is available to readers who have created a free account or who subscribe to The Equity.

When you register for free with your email, you get access to a limited number of stories at no cost. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access to everything we publish—and directly support quality local journalism here in the Pontiac.

Register or Subscribe Today!