Newcomers gather for holiday potluck

Westman Immigrant Services hosted hundreds of newcomer families and community members during its Newcomer Family Holiday Potluck at the WIS Multicultural Centre on Saturday morning.

The event, which aimed to build connections and celebrate diversity, had in attendance about 200 people — families, youth, volunteers, and community partners — representing more than 15 countries from around the world.

The potluck was created to offer newcomer families a welcoming space, particularly for those experiencing their first winter in Canada or who have recently arrived in Brandon and the Westman region, chief executive officer Enver Naidoo told the Sun.

“This allows them to build connections and just celebrate this holiday season,” Naidoo said. “They may come together as strangers, but they’re leaving together as friends.”

Naidoo said the organization works year-round with immigrant and newcomer families, including through partnerships with the Brandon School Division, and the potluck was a natural extension of that support. Given the strong turnout, he said the event is expected to become an annual tradition.

“We were at capacity today, but there’s definitely room to grow,” he said. “In future years, by partnering with other groups, I could see this easily growing to over 1,000 people.”

The event drew support from WIS staff and volunteers, the Brandon School Division and community partners.

Naidoo expressed gratitude to the WIS team and to partners such as St. Matthew’s Cathedral, which hosts the WIS Multicultural Centre.

“This space has been an extremely successful opportunity to bring people together from different backgrounds — those new to Brandon and those who’ve been here a long time,” he said.

The idea of the family holiday potluck was rooted in personal experience, settlement and integration manager Abebayoh Kena told the Sun.

“As an immigrant myself, I know how it feels to integrate into a new community, especially with challenges like the weather,” Kena said. “We want to bring newcomers and the local community together, share our cultures, share food and focus on the positive aspects of life.”

Attendees represented countries and regions that included Ukraine, India, China, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran, he said.

Kena said seeing the centre full of families and children was deeply moving.

“It’s heart-melting,” he said. “To see the smiles on the kids, meeting new friends from different schools and backgrounds, celebrating the beauty of diversity here in Brandon — it’s incredibly meaningful.”

The event featured a range of activities, including a youth choir performance, a cultural fashion show with participants from about 14 countries, a shared potluck meal, raffles and family-friendly treats such as popcorn and cotton candy. Children under the age of 12 were also given wrapped holiday gifts.

“For some kids, especially those from refugee backgrounds, this is a huge opportunity to feel belonging and to feel celebrated and valued,” Kena said.

Mayor Fawcett praised the event for bringing people from across cultures together in one space.

“I love how much they utilize this as a cultural centre,” he said. “When people from everywhere come together, that’s who we are as a community. I see all these young people here — they’re young Brandonites — and it’s exciting to think about the community we’re building for them.”

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