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Local Calgary restaurant donates hundreds of burgers to those in need

Click to play video: 'Calgary restaurant serves up more than 1,000 free burgers on Christmas Eve'
Calgary restaurant serves up more than 1,000 free burgers on Christmas Eve
For the past seven years, Flipp'n Burgers in the Calgary neighbourhood of Kensington has been offering up free burgers for Calgarians on Christmas Eve. Two big donations go to the Calgary Drop In Centre and the Mustard Seed, the rest for anyone who comes through their doors. Drew Stremick reports.

In the Calgary neighbourhood of Kensington, workers at Flipp’n Burgers fired up the grill bright and early for what’s become an annual tradition at the restaurant.

“The grill was fired up around 6:00-6:15 a.m. and it hasn’t stopped since,” laughed Jorgji Qiro, manager of Flipp’n Burgers.

“It was my dad and uncle’s idea to begin with and we started seven years ago… and they just wanted to give back to the community.”

Flipp’n Burgers made two donations of 400-burgers to the Calgary Drop-In Centre and the Mustard Seed. Drew Stremick / Global News

They were busy preparing two donations of nearly 400 burgers each for the Calgary Drop-In Centre, as well as the Mustard Seed.

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“Every year their number changes depending on how many people they have,” Qiro explained. “This year was like 390 for the Mustard Seed, and then 400 for the (Calgary) Drop-In (Centre).”

Anyone who came through their doors could get a free burger. Drew Stremick / Global News

Besides that, a sign out front welcomes any and every passerby to pop in for a burger on the house.

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“A lot of people that are just working around Kensington or passing by, they open the door and give us a thank you or happy holidays, or Merry Christmas,” said Qiro.

“It’s good to know that we have our community behind us, helping us, and supporting so we can continue to do this every year.”

This is the seventh year they’ve handed out free burgers on Christmas Eve. Drew Stremick / Global News

While picking up burgers, Eric McComish, community impact supervisor with the Mustard Seed, told Global News the annual donation from Flipp’n Burgers means a lot to those who frequent the Mustard Seed and their staff.

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“We do a lot of soup and sandwiches, so having a really awesome burger is just a nice change.” McComish remarked.

“It also takes a lot of pressure off of our kitchen staff who are cooking over the holidays, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and takes pressure off our volunteers.”

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