By 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Day, strain and the edge of panic could be seen on the faces of the volunteers working the final shifts of the community-sponsored dinner held at The Road House. The volunteers had planned to continue serving until 7 p.m., amidst holiday decorations, festive music and table settings that included fresh flowers.
Scheduled for anyone in the community who wanted to share dinner in the spirit of Christmas, the early conclusion had workers showing concern and delivering apologies because food was running out. They were clearly as disappointed as anyone who arrived to find the special event winding down.
But not because of inadequate planning — an amazing number of 600 people had already been served. And in donated resources for the event, which included personal time on Christmas Day, as well as monetary gifts to the Falls Hunger Coalition, the community delivered in record amounts for the fourth annual event.
By 5 p.m., a loose count already showed over $5,000 in donations for the local food shelf, according to organizer Lee Grim, with much of that sum contributed before Christmas Day.
Grim couldn’t deny that the event was a huge success, yet his face clearly showed regret that all who came couldn’t be served. His estimation on the larger turnout is that the Midwest snow storm which hovered in the area made road travel dangerous and canceled previously made plans for many of the diners. The community dinner was a great solution for those people.
The entire menu of entrees and desserts, supplies, service and all the labor to make the Christmas Day Community Dinner happen, was given by area businesses, individuals and churches.
Carl Brown, who owns The Road House and donates the venue for the gathering and fund raiser, said that volunteers, headed by Etta Jean Goulet, delivered more meals this year. “But I also saw big extended families eating here (at the event), in larger numbers,” Brown told The Journal.
Grim said instrumental and vocal music performed by local musicians “was fantastic” and was enjoyed by many members of the community who celebrated together.
