Vancouver restaurants to serve holiday meal to those in need

A couple of local restaurants are cooking up Christmas cheer for those less fortunate.

For the second year in a row, Mark Matthias is opening his waterfront restaurant WareHouse ’23 to host a Christmas Day dinner that’s open to everyone whether they’re homeless, impoverished, elderly or just lonely. One of the organizers, Washington Court of Appeals Judge Rich Melnick, said he isn’t sure how many people to expect this year. About 600 people showed up for a free meal on Thanksgiving.

Melnick said in the decades he has worked with Chuck Chronis of the former Chronis’ Restaurant to feed people on Thanksgiving and Christmas, no one had been turned away because they ran out of food.

“As many people as show up, we’ll feed,” he said.

This year’s Christmas Day turkey dinner is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the restaurant, at 100 Columbia St. Call 360-750-7256 with questions.

The owner of Bleu Door Bakery, Bonnie Brasure, is doing things differently this Christmas. In the past couple of years, she’s invited homeless people to her Uptown Village cafe, but she found they lack reliable transportation.

So, this year she’s going to them. She’ll be cooking meals in her restaurant on Christmas with her mom, a few friends and employees. Homeless outreach groups such as Break Every Chain and Concerned Humans Against Poverty will distribute the food.

“I am a successful business and I want to give back,” Brasure said. “I will enjoy this far more than sitting at home.”

She’s prepared to feed a traditional Christmas meal to 250 people. If it’s successful, she said she’ll “shoot for double next year.”

Brasure’s restaurant is also collecting toys, clothing, blankets and other gifts to be distributed to those who need them; she has a special place in her heart for women’s domestic violence shelters since a family member stayed in one. Anyone interested in donating can stop by the restaurant at 2411 Main St. or call 360-693-2538.