Christmas Dinner
Our annual Christmas Dinner is a day when we come together with our friends experiencing homelessness to celebrate another year of being in community together.
On Sunday, December 8, 233 guests and volunteers gathered at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer to celebrate this Christmas and holiday season at our annual Christmas Dinner!
We are thankful it was a dry, mild afternoon as we sat down side-by-side to eat a delicious holiday meal, drink hot chocolate, and sing Christmas carols. It was incredible to see everyone enjoying the fun and having good conversations with one another around the tables and throughout the area.
One of our volunteers, Michael, shared a conversation he had at the event with one of our guests named Wayne.
As Michael sat down next to him to eat, Wayne said, "Volunteers don't normally eat with us. They say 'I don't want to eat homeless food.' So, thank you for eating with me."
Michael told him this event was about all of us eating together around the table, enjoying the food and conversations with one another. They went on to have a great time at the table.
We are thankful that our emphasis on doing things "with, not for" our friends is felt and understood by our guests, and this interaction between Wayne and Michael illustrates the importance of doing things with dignity among our neighbors.
We want to give special thanks to the following partners:
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer for hosting us so well
Bread Coffeehouse for providing delicious coffee and hot cocoa for everyone
Sarah Harms and Elliott Clark for photographing the event so beautifully.
To see more photos from the afternoon, go to our Christmas Dinner 2024 photo album on our Facebook page and check them out!
