Submitted
The eighth annual Community Christmas Dinner will be held at the VFW on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A traditional meal will be served, provided in part by the VFW and in part by donations received from the community, purposefully given toward the Christmas dinner. The venue is donated by the men of the VFW, who also give their time on Christmas Day, and prior to the dinner, to prepare the meal.
The vision of the Community Christmas Dinner is to provide a place where people from the community can gather together to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, and that is celebrating the birth of Jesus. We often find ourselves consumed by the busyness of the season and lose sight of the true purpose of Christmas; the dinner brings the community together to acknowledge this, as well as to fellowship with one another. The dinner provides a peaceful, family-friendly atmosphere open to all who wish to come and enjoy a Christmas meal at no cost, whether this means coming as a family, with friends, or alone. The dinner also allows members of the community to serve one another and be served through volunteering, which is a reminder of Jesus and who He is, and what He has called us to do. Though Jesus is acknowledged, all are welcome and invited to the Christmas Dinner regardless of personal beliefs.
Volunteers help to keep the dinner going each year and are vital to the dinner’s success; we are seeking people willing to serve this year as in years past—last year, approximately 80 volunteers served at the dinner in various areas, and over 700 meals were served in total. Volunteers are welcome to serve any portion of the day and can leave at any time. For those able to attend, a meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. the morning of the dinner. Information will be relayed during this time regarding areas of help needed, as well as getting the volunteers situated prior to the dinner. Tasks include (but are not limited to) decorating/set-up, greeting, filling drinks, distributing desserts, clearing tables, clean-up, delivering meals, and making sure other needs are being met. We are also asking for willing community members to provide desserts for the dinner, as these are solely provided by the community.
If interested in volunteering, providing dessert, donating, or if needing delivery of meals, please contact Brittany at (785) 259-3766 or [email protected]. Donations received will go toward the dinner itself or other areas of need within the community.