JOPLIN, Mo. —
Christmas cheer was served up with a side of potatoes and turkey Tuesday in Joplin as a local church and a charity opened their doors to any and all.
First Community Church members put on their 38th annual Christmas Day dinner. The church expected to serve more than 800 meals during the day, between home deliveries and in-house dining. David Mason was the co-chairman of this year’s Christmas dinner for the church.
“The preparation for this starts months in advance, and it really kicks into gear the week before,” Mason said. “We started prep work last Friday with the grocery shopping, and then we made what we could over the weekend. Most of the food was prepped this morning by our volunteers, and they will keep cooking throughout the day.”
The preparation area inside the industrial kitchen at the church was lined with volunteers serving up meals for attendees. On a nearby platform, 10 volunteers prepared carryout containers to go throughout the city.
“I’ve got over 50 volunteers out here today to make this happen,” Mason said. “We are going to have 300 meals going out and another 500 people coming through our doors today. It’s a long day, but it’s a rewarding one.”
First Community Church was heavily damaged in the 2011 tornado, and members rededicated their sanctuary in early November. Despite the heavy damage and the high cost of rebuilding, members were undaunted in their drive to make sure the Christmas dinner tradition continued, as it did last year, Mason said.
“We are still running off donations for this dinner, and we aren’t expecting to make money off of this,” Mason said. “We were down after the damage of the tornado, but we rebuilt and we didn’t miss anything. We wanted to be here for the community this time of year, and here we are, bigger and better.”
Joplin resident Anna Ruth Mosbaugh took part in the meal before helping deliver meals during the early afternoon to those unable to go to the church to dine.
“I have met several people today, and seeing the joy in the community is wonderful,” Mosbaugh said. “No one should have to spend Christmas alone, and dinners like this are a great way for people in Joplin to be able to spend time with one another. This is community, and it shows how people can make the holiday special.”
SALVATION ARMY
Lt. Jamie Curry of the Salvation Army was working the phones during the peak of Christmas dinner at the organization’s dining room at 320 E. Eighth St. She had spent most of the morning coordinating more than 150 volunteers to provide meals for more than 800 people.
“This is our biggest turnout of the year, and it’s been heavier today because of the cold snap,” Curry said. “We’re just happy to have them and to have someplace for them to go.”
Curry said the Salvation Army depends on volunteers to make the day’s events happen.
“People make a family tradition of volunteering,” she said. “Most of our volunteers are giving up a big part of their day to make this happen.”
Sonny Doubleday is one of those volunteers. His wife and two children joined him for the fifth year in a row at area kitchens.
“You have every other day of the year to have a regular life,” Doubleday said. “Why not make someone else’s Christmas that much better?”
Local News
Related Photos
-
Charlotte Scales and her daughter, Helen, slice and box up pie for carryout meals Tuesday morning at First Community Church. Organizers of the church’s 38th annual Christmas Day dinner were expecting to feed 500 diners at the church and deliver 300 meals to those unable to go to the Joplin church. GLOBE | B.W. SHEPHERD
-
With their chore cut out for them, Wynona Dugan (left) and Norma Highley form a two-member pie brigade Tuesday at First Community Church. GLOBE | B.W. SHEPHERD
-
Members of the Christian Motorcyclists Association sport festive headgear Tuesday while baking up another batch of biscuits at the annual Christmas breakfast at Souls Harbor in Joplin. GLOBE | B.W. SHEPHERD
Discussion
Hundreds help prepare, serve community meals in Joplin
- Local News
-
-
VIDEO: Restore Joplin designer stepping up to help Moore tornado victims
The designer of the Restore Joplin T-shirts who helped raise nearly a quarter-million dollars for Joplin in the wake of the 2011 tornado has put together a similar design to raise money for residents of Moore, Okla.
-
Community gearing up for two-year anniversary ceremony this afternoon
With the playground full of children, it could be any other day at Joplin’s Cunningham Park, but the white tents popping up and neat rows of white chairs lined up nearby indicate something more is happening today.
-
Farmers Insurance teams up with Rebuild Joplin
Farmers Insurance announced Tuesday that the company will team up with Rebuild Joplin for an initiative to help the community complete its recovery efforts. The company already has placed one of its executives in Joplin, and it is pledging additional funds and volunteer hours by company workers to go toward the city’s recovery.
-
Jasper County approves renovation, building plans
Work is expected to start within two weeks on a project to renovate a county owned building near the courthouse for the Jasper County sheriff’s office.
-
SMB sets up fund for Moore, Okla., storm victims
Southwest Missouri Bank has set up an account so area residents can donate to storm victims in Moore, Okla., which was hit by an EF-5 tornado on May 20.
-
Farm Service Agency announces deadline
Patty Lambert, executive director of Jasper County USDA Farm Service Agency, said producers are required to report prevented planting acreage for FSA program eligibility.
-
Former IRS worker gets probation after guilty plea to theft of funds
Pittsburg resident and former Internal Revenue Service employee Becky L. Book received two years probation after pleading guilty earlier this year to the theft of $26,449.65 in public funds.
-
Joplin residents can sign Banner of Hope for Moore during anniversary event today
Joplin residents will be able to sign a 20-foot banner sending messages of hope and encouragement to the people of Moore, Okla., during the anniversary ceremony today in Cunningham Park.
-
Arma mother facing murder charge in sleeping baby’s death
Heather Buckalew fell asleep on a couch with her 4-month-old baby after a night last summer drinking beer with her boyfriend. The boyfriend, Donald Harvey, got up to go to work a few hours later and spotted his son, lying face down on a pillow between the back of the couch and his sleeping mother.
-
Joplin residents lend a hand in Moore
Joplin is paying it forward. The day before the two-year anniversary of an EF-5 tornado leveling one-third of Joplin, pastors from Ignite Church in Joplin were in Moore, where an EF-5 spent 40 minutes on the ground on Monday.
- More Local News Headlines
-
VIDEO: Restore Joplin designer stepping up to help Moore tornado victims
