Rodney Jenness, of Lebanon, N.H., passes a plate of turkey to another at his table during the annual Lebanon Christmas Day Dinner in Lebanon, N.H., on Dec. 25, 2018. Listen Community Services, which serves six community meals a week at their White River Junction dining facility, began running the annual Christmas meal this year. (Valley News – Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Credit: Valley News file — Geoff Hansen
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Listen will hold a sit-down Christmas Day dinner for the first time in five years.
The newly named “Upper Valley Winter Holiday Dinner” will be held for the first time at Listen’s dining hall in White River Junction. The event is being co-hosted by the Lebanon-based nonprofit organization and the Upper Valley Haven.
It will take place from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 25, at the Listen Dining Hall at 42 Maple St., in White River Junction. People can also pre-order dinners for delivery on Christmas Day. Both meals are free. Reservations are required prior to Monday, Dec. 23 by calling 603-558-6306.
Listen started organizing the meal, which had previously been run for decades by Al and Dana Michalovic, in 2018. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic the dinner took place at Sacred Heart Church in Lebanon.
During the height of the pandemic, Listen shifted to provide take-out meals only. Then, in 2022, Listen canceled the Christmas Day meal, in part, because staff needed to focus their attention on other programs which experienced significant growth during the pandemic. Last year, Listen partnered with Congregation Shir Shalom in Woodstock to bring the event back as a takeout-only meal.
“I think delivering meals to people who are unable to get out, it’s a wonderful service but for a lot of people … they may not have an address to get a meal delivered to,” Listen Community Meals Co-Manager Larry Lowndes said. “It’s just nice to have this beautiful dining hall we have (open) on a day that’s important to a lot of people.”
One of the reasons for the event’s name change is that Christmas Day also is the first night of Hanukkah this year.
In addition to the new name and venue, the approach will also be different: Lowndes is planning a four-course meal.
“I thought why not treat the dining hall here like it’s a French restaurant, full service?” Lowndes said in a phone interview. “It’s kind of a new concept.”
Guests will be seated in the dining hall by volunteers and Listen staff. Additional volunteers will serve as waitstaff.
The meal is to start with tomato basil soup, followed by a made-to-order salad. There are four entree options: flat iron steak with roasted garlic sauce; grilled swordfish with lemon butter sauce; Statler chicken breast with fresh thyme; and a vegetarian, gluten-free eggplant lasagna. Dessert will be a fresh strawberry puff pastry with creme sauce.
“A lot of our guests that come here on a regular basis that I also think will be coming here on Christmas might not have had a dinner service like this,” Lowndes said. “I think it’s going to be a treat for them.”
He anticipated that they will serve between 150 to 200 guests over 3½ hours. About 70 people will volunteer on Christmas Day, as well as assist with prep work on Christmas Eve.
The Upper Valley Haven plans to distribute packaged roast turkey dinners with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and cookies, to volunteer delivery drivers on Christmas morning, who will then bring them to people throughout the Upper Valley, said Jennifer Fontaine, the Haven’s director of finance and food programs.
The two organizations work together on a variety of programs so partnering together for the holiday meal made sense.
“When Larry was describing what he wanted to do this year, to go back in person, to create an even better holiday experience for people I wanted to support him in any way we could,” Fontaine said in a phone interview.
Upper Valley Haven staff also understand how great the need is: On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, staff and volunteers handed out 820 turkeys and side dishes during its Turkey Day event, according to data Fontaine provided. During the days before Thanksgiving, they distributed another 286 turkeys. That’s a 39% increase from last year, when the Haven gave out 760 turkey kits.
Food insecurity is tough any time of year, but during the holiday it can be even more so. Many gatherings center around food and Fontaine said she thinks when people might not be able to provide the meals they’d like to for their families it “weighs on people a little bit more than normal.”
That’s one of the reasons the Upper Valley Winter Holiday Dinner will be so special.
“The overall goal is really treating people with dignity, respect, camaraderie,” said Fontaine, who will help distribute meals at the Haven before heading over to Listen to volunteer with her husband. “This is what you or I would want. Why would we not offer the same for our neighbors?”
For more information about volunteering at the Upper Valley Winter Holiday Dinner visit listencs.org/get-involved#Volunteer.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
Dining and Cooking