VIDEO: Christmas Dinner at First Church

Christmas took on a special significance this year from me this year. It was the first time I volunteered to help make Christmas dinner at First Church of Middletown.

The works start on the morning of December 24th. Coordinated by Julie, people dropped off cooked hams and turkeys. The volunteers took to preparing the meals in trays to ready to heat up on Christmas morning. We also set the tables and chairs, bringing out the fine china for the table settings.

We got the church at 8AM Christmas morning to fire up the ovens and start cooking. We had a team of volunteers ready to clean dishes along with servers bringing plates of ham and stuffing out to the folks arriving at noon to eat.

We had volunteers from as far as West Hartford and people came from other faiths and churches. This was not only a First Church event, it was a Middletown Community event.

Nearly 100 meals were delivered by volunteers to folks who couldn't make it out to the dinner. We estimate over 300 people came to share in the spirit of Christmas and giving. We even started an impromptu sing-a-long that keep the crowd and volunteers spirits up.

It was great to be a part of this event. I look forward to volunteering more and seeing more people take part in giving and not just as part of Christmas but all through the year.

~Topher

Christopher Polack is a Middletown resident who loves his town and all the people in it.

Senate Unlikely to Take Up Changes In Food Distribution Bill

Despite a letter from the State's Attorney General, and several letters from local pastors worried about serving Christmas dinners to the needy, the Senate is unlikely to have time in the current short session, to take up legislative change in the bill which currently is interpreted to prohibit charitable distribution of food prepared in unlicensed kitchens.

In the present, abbreviated session, the legislature is wrestling with regulations which need to be created or modified as a result of the late passage of the state budget.

"We got it (the Attorney General's letter) very late in the process, and I think there's some agreement with the Attorney General and the concerns he raises," said Derek Slap, Senate Democratic spokesman. "We're absolutely sympathetic to the points the Attorney General and others have raised."

But Slap indicated that the complaint, and the legislation in question, would have to be fully vetted before action could be taken. Slapp suggested that there may be an approach featuring a broader interpretation of the statute which would not require a change in legislation.

Without the change, local pastors in Middletown are concerned that Christmas meals, which consist of turkey and the fixings prepared in the homes of parishoners, would have to be cancelled.