The Durham Rescue Mission on Monday held its 47th annual Christmas community dinner and toy giveaway.
The event ran from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the men’s campus on East Main Street in Durham, with 615 volunteers braving the cold to provide a warm Christmas meal and gifts to families.
Every child who attended the event received three toys, and organizers said 1,791 bags of toys were distributed.
For adults, there was a drawing for large grand prizes, including Smart TVs, Nintendo Switches, Chromebooks and bicycles.
Event organizers said 3,274 people attended the event, and 3,119 hot meals were served. Additionally, clothing and groceries were distributed.
“Christmas is the most special time of year,” said Rev. Rob Tart, president and CEO. “Gifts,
family, friends, and fun are the ingredients for a special Christmas
time. However, there are still people in our community that don’t have all
those ingredients. That’s why we are having our annual Christmas
Party. We want to ensure that every child in the Triangle has a great
Christmas.”
In November, the Durham Rescue Mission held its Thanksgiving dinner, feeding thousands of people with 200 turkeys.
Ernie Mills, Jr., vice president of development for the Durham Rescue Mission, said giving away Thanksgiving meals meant just as much to volunteers as it does to recipients.
“It’s a way to express our gratitude by giving back,” Mills said. “We invite people. It’s not just the poor, we invite everybody to come out. There are a lot of people that are lonely on Thanksgiving, or maybe their family is across the country and they have no one to spend it with. Come spend it with us.”
Dining and Cooking