Shell Rock’s first community Christmas dinner was a rousing success, with a near-capacity crowd filling the fellowship hall at Faith Lutheran Church.
Robyn Holden, one of the organizers, said the volunteers had prepared “right around 200” seats for the dinner.
Before the noon mealtime, Holden said that between RSVPs and delivery requests, they knew of more than 100 diners and were hoping for drop-ins.
She said the idea for the community dinner first hit one night about 3 a.m. when she couldn’t sleep.
“My kids were all going somewhere else, and I thought, I’ve got some friends who are alone at Christmas,” she said. “Wouldn’t it be nice to just have something for those that don’t have anywhere to go?”
The next step was to test run the idea on Facebook, where she said she posted, “I have this crazy idea. Is anyone interested in helping? And I had a fabulous response. Fourteen families responded to just that, immediately. So then we decided to make a go of it.”
That was in mid-November. Since then the volunteer assistance has been “crazy,” Holden said. They had different shifts leading up to the Christmas Day dinner—setting up, preparing food, serving. “I’ll bet we’ve had 40 or 50 people just helping with the organizing and setup.”
So many people stepped up to help with their time or their financial support that the whole project just fell together, according to Holden.
“This is the easiest event I’ve ever planned, because people have contributed financially, businesses have contributed financially,” she said. “We had to set up an extra dessert table because we have so many desserts. There is so much food here.”
The serving tables held turkey and pork loin, potatoes and gravy, dressing and green beans, squash, corn, sweet potatoes and more, plus a variety of salads and desserts.
Claire Munson was a volunteer before and during the dinner. She saw the community meal as “representative of Shell Rock coming together,” she said. “There’s a lot of people here supporting the event.”
Munson, like the other volunteers, was smiling as she worked.
“I think everyone is so happy to be here and doing something on Christmas Day,” she said.
Karen Peterson had been involved in the project from the start.
“I have wanted to do something like this forever, so when the opportunity arose, I jumped right on it,” she said. “As I told my husband, I am all in.”
That led to “a couple meetings, trying to figure things out, then we came here and set up the other night, came here yesterday and prepped a lot of the food. The volunteers have been awesome, and the donations have been amazing. I’m in for a good time.”
Little Miss Butler County Destiny Treib of Clarksville was volunteering with her family.
“I helped bring the treats out,” she said. “Mom brought chicken and noodles.”
Familiar with the dessert offerings, Destiny knew what she wanted later.
“I think I’m going to do ice cream and, if I can, maybe a brownie or a cookie,” she said. “Maybe even a piece of fudge.”
She said she thought the shared meal was a good idea.
Peterson was looking for a good turnout for the event.
“We’re hoping people really come and enjoy themselves,” she said. “That’s the whole point.”
Based on some visitor responses, the volunteers succeeded in providing a good time.
“This was a wonderful meal,” said Barbara Meyer of Waverly after finishing a small piece of fudge. “And I didn’t have to cook it, and I don’t have to do the dishes, so I love it!”
Joan Lehman of Shell Rock, sitting next to her, also thought the event turned out well.
“Very nice job on the meal,” she said. “I think it’s good company for everybody that can get together and visit. It’s very nice.”
Her husband, Jim, added, “Well, I don’t have to do dishes, either,” making the whole table laugh.
Craig Hancock from Waverly attended the meal, saying that it was “a wonderfully surprising opportunity for so many people on a day when families are important. There are lots of people who don’t have families.”
In addition, he noted that some households don’t have the resources to fix a holiday meal. And while others do, there’s something extra to be found when gathering together.
“The fellowshipping that’s going on here—the liveliness, the friendliness—that’s what Christmas is all about,” Hancock said. “What better day to do it than on Christmas?”
Dining and Cooking