The room was packed with almost as many volunteers as diners as First Church hosted its annual Community Christmas dinner where all are welcome to dine on Christmas Day.
"We have almost too many volunteer," church member Trevor Davis said. "They're bumping into one another. I can't think of any other Middletown event where there are this many people who show up to help."
"We'll serve about two hundred meals here today," even coordinator Julie Hurlburt said. "But we've already delivered sixty meals to the Eddy Shelter, and delivered 85 meals to people who couldn't make it here today."
Hurlburt demurred when asked about the difficulties in coordinating such an event.
"It doesn't work unless the volunteers show up, and you can see they have," she said. "I'm ust the conductor. They're the orchestra."
This is a meal that was almost outlawed this year. In the controversy over Food Not Bombs earlier this year, this Christmas tradition was threatened when it was discovered that state law prevented meals not cooked in a licensed kitchen to be served to the public. Many of the turkeys and ham served today were prepared in ovens at the homes of volunteers. In a protracted battle which ended with a change in state law, it is now legal for charitable organizations to serve meals prepared in non-licensed kitchens to those in need.
Julie Hurlbert and First Church are to be commended for organizing the Community Dinner year after year, for everyone to enjoy!
ReplyDeleteAlso a big Thank You should go to Nancy Meyers for her violin, which organizes the carolling. It really puts everyone in the spirit!
Some Christmases are happy, some Christmases are sad, but happy or sad, there is always the Community Dinner to go to. That is why so many "volunteers" show up--to be in community with other people on a day that can sometimes be pretty stressful or lonely.