Many are upset we don’t have a white Christmas this year, but this warm sunny day has paid dividends for the Lima Community Christmas Dinner. As hundreds showed out for a free meal.
If you walked into the VFW Post 1275 on Christmas Day, it was a packed house for the three hours dinner was being served. A much larger crowd turned out in 2019 than in recent years. One volunteer thought the weather might have something to do with it or it could just be the simple fact it’s a meal that brings people together.
"It’s always a lot of fun here," Tanner Calvelage said, one of the volunteers. "Everybody’s always in a good mood everybody’s always got great cheer. So, it’s always a very fun time to be around everybody here, especially today."
It’s the 17th year for the annual dinner.
'We did this to just be able to help people enjoy the holiday season and not alone," said Kyle Catlett, co-chairman of the dinner event. "You know, Jesus said to feed the hungry and that’s exactly what we do and we’ll do it as long as we have to. So to see the crowd in here like this, in this capacity, is just rewarding."
All the food comes from donations. Primarily put on by VFW volunteers, several other organizations volunteer their time to help put this event on. Including Calvelage’s family, who made volunteering a tradition. He’s in his 12th year volunteering and says he’s learned from the experience each year.
"It always meant a lot just because you would come here and sometimes you’d take things for granted in your own little bubble, I guess is what you’d like to call it for your own life," said Calvelage. "But coming here your eyes kind of get opened a little bit and see some things. See people go through some harder things. You get to see, you know what, there’s a lot of people you’re actually helping and benefiting from doing this, so. It just makes you feel a lot better inside and it really brings out the true spirit of Christmas in you."
As for why many people come back each year?
"We’re good cooks," said Catlett with a laugh. "We’re great cooks."
