KITCHENER -- The St. John's Pudding Factory won't be preparing Christmas puddings this holiday season.

The Church of St. John the Evangelist said it has cancelled its annual fundraiser because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fundraiser has been around for 72 years.

“With the worsening effects of COVID-19, we felt that this was the responsible thing to do,” Pudding Factory co-organizer Judy Shantz said in a news release. “Sadly, this will have a huge impact on our ability to provide funds for outreach to our community and our parish.”

Typically, the Pudding Factory produces around 2,000 pounds of Christmas puddings in the first week of November. Proceeds go towards church outreach programs and local charities.

“We would like to thank the community for all its support and we hope to be able to offer our puddings again next year,” Shantz said.