Caley Gibson - Global News
It's a tradition nearly 30 years in the making. The 29th annual Thanksgiving luncheon was held at Leefield Community Hall in south Edmonton on Monday, and this year the meal was held in honour of the people who started the tradition decades ago.
The 29th annual Thanksgiving luncheon, originally started by the late owners of Millbourne Laundromat, was held at Leefield Community Hall in south Edmonton on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022.
The Thanksgiving feast is the passion project of former Millbourne Laundromat owners Don and Shirley Tripp, both of whom passed away in the last year and a half.
"I know they're here. I can feel it," daughter Nicole Tripp said. "They're here in spirit and they're so pleased and honoured. I think this is the biggest honour — their legacy is continuing with these wonderful, wonderful people.
"I don't think they ever expected it to get this big and for this tradition to carry on. I know it's everything and that's all they wanted."
The community tradition started 29 years ago, when two men from Newfoundland were at the cleaner and Shirley asked what they were doing for Thanksgiving. The men told Shirley they had no plans, as their families were back east. That's when Shirley insisted the men stay at the laundromat and she would bring them some Thanksgiving food.
Since then, the dinner has grown to serve hundreds of meals to those in need, those with nowhere else to go and those without families around during the holiday.
"Mom made a Thanksgiving dinner for these guys and realized just how many people didn't have anything to do for Thanksgiving dinner — no family, were down on their luck. And it spread and spread," Nicole said.
"My siblings and myself, we were all there. We were helping make these dinners. My mom would plop 100 pounds of potatoes in front of my dad and say, 'start peeling.'"
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Nicole said her mother came from humble beginnings. Growing up in a small village in Nova Scotia, their family was poor. But one thing Shirley learned at a young age was that if you have something to give, you should. It's a moral she passed down to her children.
"When she was growing up, anytime they had something, they gave whatever they had. They would give. So for my mom, Thanksgiving has and always will be the most special thing to her to give back," Nicole said. "For dad as well. It was always a matter of giving. They didn't care what they received, it was always a matter of giving."
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The pair sold the laundromat years ago, but the Thanksgiving tradition has continued with the help of the new owners and several community partners who donate food and the hall to serve the meal. This year, organizers say they will serve 800 meals at the hall, as well as another 200 meals that were delivered to university students.
"There's so many people who need food," said Jane Wang, the current owner of Millbourne Laundromat.
"I like to share the passions, help the people and especially at Thanksgiving, people stay home alone. So better together, share the good."
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She too said it's important to continue with the Tripp's traditions.
"They are just so nice. Every time she came to the laundromat and hugged me," Wang said. "She's just so, so warm and she loved other people."
"This is a nice community project. To see the smiles and camaraderie among people no matter what their religion, race or colour," said Victoria Ewert with the Rotary Club of Edmonton Southeast, which helps organize the meal.
"Some of them, they come every year and this is where they meet their friends. They become buddies and they know that every year they're going to meet each other."
Ewert started volunteering at the luncheon long before the club took over organizing the event. She got to know Don and Shirley and said she wants to make sure people know about their legacy.
"It's become my goal also to continue with this."
Video: Annual Millbourne Laundromat Thanksgiving sees over 1,000 attendees
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi was also at the luncheon Monday.
"This tradition of giving back and community coming together and sharing food together on Thanksgiving Day is just phenomenal. It's a sense of community that I have been blessed to be part of," he said.
Sohi has taken in part in the event for years and got to know Don and Shirley, calling them good friends.
"They were just phenomenal individuals; always thinking about the community, always finding a way to give back. Their business thrived as well as struggled because of the changing nature of the laundromat business, but they never gave up on the community," he said.
"We can absolutely take a lesson from their life on how we can give back individually to make our city and our communities better."
After losing her parents, that's exactly what Nicole hopes to achieve as the meal continues for years to come.
"I know how proud my parents were and are. As kids and grandkids and great-grandkids, we're thrilled that this has continued for them. It's such an honour," she said.
"This one really has hit home for me the most out of every year since the day they started it. This one, I think, has the most meaning because this one is showing their legacy. Their entire legacy is continuing on and it will continue for however many years."
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