Authentic Greek food and crafts grace St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church
The sights and smells of Greek culture will be on display at the Greek Ladies of Philoptochos Annual Bazaar. The bazaar will be held on Friday and Saturday by the Hellenic Society of Calgary at the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.
Philoptochos in Greek means friends of the poor. This is an event that gives the public a taste of Greek culture while raising money for charity.
Celia Tsiulis, event organizer, says “This year’s event will raise money for a variety of charities and the newest charity added this year is Inn From the Cold.”
Joelle Mar is Inn From the Cold’s development manager and says funds raised from events, such as the ladies’ bazaar, help the organization in various ways.
“We just feel so blessed to have these ladies advocating for us and getting the word out,” she says.
Mar says Inn From the Cold is Calgary’s first and largest homeless shelter. They have meal service every night and many other programs to help people year round — especially around holiday time.
The funds raised from this event are donated to a large variety of organizations such as The Mustard Seed, the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, World Vision Canada, Operation Eyesight Universal and the Canadian Red Cross, among others.
“A countless number of hours are put in to make this event happen,” Tsiulis says in an email. “With the support of our community (and) volunteers we strive to make this event as successful as possible,” she says.
Authentic, homemade Greek meals are served up hot for people wanting to support a great cause.
Photo by Shannon Galley
“Our ultimate goal is to help all those who are in need due to physical, mental or financial challenges.”
Tsiulis says they will have lots of food and family entertainment on both days — Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Homemade Greek food, such as spanakopita, souvlaki, stuffed grape leaf rolls and Greek salad, are prepared by the ladies in the kitchen at St. Demetrios. All of the food will be available for purchase to eat-in or take out. Hand made crafts will also be on display and available for purchase.