Going to Grandma or Grandpa's house usually holds the promise of a hearty meal.
And while the visiting teams and staff involved with the 2013 World Baseball Challenge are in Prince George, they're getting the best a local seniors' centre has to offer.
The Prince George and District Seniors Citizens' Activity Centre is providing three meals per day for the five visiting teams for the duration of their stay in the city.
More than 100 volunteers have stepped up to help the centre put on a home-cooked spread for the more than 150 mouths from Canada, the U.S., Cuba, Japan and Chinese-Taipei. They work in two-hours shifts made up of two cooks and four volunteers to help with preparation and clean up.
The kitchen is run by the centre's current full-time cook Angie Fretter, who along with the centre's manager, was intrigued after a WBC rep inquired about their dining space.
"Because I've been catering forever, we thought it would be a good idea," said Fretter. "It just kind of grew from there."
The teams eat in shifts, depending on the game schedule, and the menu varies every day, with dishes ranging from roast beef, to barbecue ribs, to French toast, to eggs and bacon, to lasagna, and much more.
"Everybody's been friendly and easy-going," said Fretter. "The translators all let us know they're enjoying what they're getting."
Putting the extra food on the table for baseball players with big appetites isn't hurting the centre, as the WBC is paying for them to provide the meals.
Baseball lunch service overlaps with the regular mid-day meal the activity centre offers to the public - which is a different menu altogether - giving diners a chance to mingle.
"Sometimes, because of the language barrier, it's kind of hard," said Fretter, "but some of the seniors have put themselves forward and talk."
But in addition to that interaction, the centre is also hoping to shatter some misconceptions about itself by the time the last pitch is thrown on Aug. 23.
"This is going to make the people of Prince George realize the centre isn't a little, tiny place," said Fretter, stressing it's not only seniors that are welcome for lunch between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. "If you're not a senior, you might not know that these places even exist that are this large. We could do a wedding in here."
