ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WJAR) — An Attleboro couple is doing all they can to let the community that they live in know they care.
Years ago, when Daniel McKearney was a kid, he said a local family always took on the role of hosting a ‘Christmas Dinner’ for all.
After the founder of it passed away, the family carried it on for a few years but later decided to stop.
Since there was nothing like it in town, Daniel and his wife, Linda McKearney, created their own.
“The year we got married. Within a month and a half of us together we were putting this together for the first time,” said Linda. “We don’t want anybody home alone, granted it’s not Christmas Day, but we don’t want anybody totally by themselves we want them to know there’s a place to come to.”
“There’s a lot of people that have nothing, and have no one, no Christmas, zero, so at least they can come here, and that’s what we wanted,” added Daniel.
Eight years ago, the free ‘Christmas meal’ for the public was held at St. Vincent DePaul.
The church closed, so they adjusted.
This year, it was held at Saint John the Evangelist Church on Sunday afternoon.
“The first year we started there were about 50 people, maybe 75 and each year it’s progressively gotten bigger,” said Linda.“We wanted to get the word out, we want to put smiles on peoples faces.”
This year, more than 300 people were fed a hot meal consisting of more than 15 turkeys and hams with tons of sides and delicious desserts.
There was also a station for people in need of hats and gloves, and a local school made cards of kindness to lift people’s spirits ahead of the holidays.
A DJ played Christmas tunes to get people in the holiday mood, too.
“To see a little boy or girl come in and get a dessert from the dessert tray and have a smile on their faces that’s what’s so special,” said Daniel. “It literally brings tears to your eyes, it really does.”
Leading up to the annual event, the McKearneys do all they can to spread the word.
They host a food drive after Thanksgiving to garner donations for the meal.
Everything else is paid for out of their own pocket.
“Other than that it comes from us. We save each and every week for it,” said Daniel.
“It’s a feeling I can’t put into words, it’s a feeling I internally get. It just brings me so much joy to see people know about it, and that they know that they can come here,” added Linda.
Leading up to the meal, Daniel and Linda put in countless hours of preparation and work.
Alongside family and friends –they begin cooking a few days before.
“This is not possible without the volunteers. Me and Linda, we can do a lot but we need our volunteers and they’ve stuck by our side for 8 years really,” said Daniel. “That’s what it’s all about, giving back to others my father would always say to me put yourself in someone else’s shoes they may be less fortunate than you and have it a lot tougher than you.”
The mayor of Attleboro, several city council members and other community members stopped by.
On top of feeding the community, the McKearneys also made plates for the Attleboro Police and Fire Departments.
“When we first started we wanted it for veterans, seniors elderly, homeless and now we’re like we want everybody. You don’t have to have a title to come here, my husband always says we don’t care if you’re the president of the United States, if you want a warm meal and some company, this is the place.”