PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – As the clock ticks toward the new year, we’re closing out 2025 with a story that reminds us of what really matters.
No confetti. No countdown– just a home kitchen and a whole lot of heart.
This simple act of giving– served up hot for those who never get a day off– is what makes this story 850 Good News.
Sherry Melton is a familiar face in the Panhandle.
Her resume of nonprofits runs long.
“I am the founder and director of Rooms with a Purpose. I am in the GFWC Women’s Club. I am an ambassador with the Bay County and the Panama City Beach Chambers. I’m in a group called Gulf Coast Gals,” said the holiday meal-maker Sherry Melton.
But this holiday season, Sherry and her sister Pat– plus a few friends– decided to do something different.
Instead of exchanging gifts, they exchanged an idea.
“We are going to be cooking all day,” said Melton.
Starting early, the ladies turned this home kitchen into a holiday operation– cooking Christmas dinner for five area fire stations and one police department. And they aren’t skimpin’ on the fixin’s.
“We’re cooking turkeys, dressing, pumpkin pies, green bean casserole, gravy, mashed potatoes, rolls, the whole works. We want them to have a wonderful dinner for having to work on Christmas,” said Melton.
From 9 a.m. to well into the night– between all the pouring, mixing and baking– the “why” was always front and center.
“Christmas to me is about giving. These people are giving to us every day. They put their lives on the line every day for us. So, for them to have to work on Christmas day and not be with their families, I just wanted to do something to say thank you,” said Melton.
And Sherry says she wants the meals to become a yearly tradition.
She says it’s already a done deal because as the new year comes some resolutions don’t wait for midnight– they’re already done cooking.
The meal giveaways were in conjunction with sherry’s nonprofit, Rooms with a Purpose, and with the GFWC Women’s Club of Bay County.
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Dining and Cooking