WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – The Wausau Eagles Club spent Tuesday preparing around 1,000 meals for its Christmas Day drive-through service, expecting to serve approximately 800 people seeking hot holiday meals.
Volunteers are putting together meals complete with ham, mashed potatoes and gravy and vegetables for community members on Christmas Day. Volunteers are preparing extra meals in case demand exceeds last year’s turnout.
The program began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a local restaurant operated a similar service. When pandemic restrictions limited customers to 10 at a time, the Eagles Club took over the operation.
Organizers say the people who drive up are grateful for the service.
“People are really, really happy,” Lynn Loss, chair of the Christmas and Easter dinner program, said. “Sometimes it’s just a matter of understanding that it’s not that they can’t afford a meal, but when you’re alone, do you really wanna do that? And I think Christmas is the hardest time of year for that.”
Loss described Christmas Day as organized chaos. The Eagles Club accepts volunteers even for short shifts of one or two hours.
After Thursday’s service, Loss estimates the organization will have served around 17,000 meals over the years between its Easter and Christmas dinners.
The drive-through meal service runs Christmas Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or until meals run out. There is a limit of four meals per vehicle. Community members can drive up, tell volunteers how many meals they want, and volunteers will bring them to their car.
Click here to download the WSAW news app or WSAW First Alert weather app.
Click here to submit a news tip or story idea.
Copyright 2025 WSAW. All rights reserved.
Dining and Cooking