Where do you go, when it's Christmas, and you're all alone? For many in NH's Upper Valley, the solution is the Lebanon Community Christmas Dinner held at Sacred Heart Church. Long time volunteer and past chairman Al Michalovic reports that community and companionship is what this event is all about, not necessarily a great traditional meal.

When Michalovic was introduced to the event in 1993, it was already 10 or so years old and serving 200 meals. The next year Al became the event chairman, and continued for several years even though today he just likes to be another volunteer.

The last two years the dinner served between 500-600 people. It starts by recruiting well over 100 volunteers: bakers, baggers, drivers, cooks, table captains and more. Christmas Eve around 400-500 dozen homemade cookies arrive at the church, the Lebanon Rotary will set up twenty-five tables, and twenty-five homes will pop a twenty pound turkey, with all the 'fixins in the oven. The turkeys will all arrive, still hot from the oven, by 8:00am Christmas day. Soon, forty volunteers will stand assembly-line-style to prepare salads, divvy the cookies, slice and package apple & pumpkin pies, carve and plate the turkeys, add a hot roll, squash, green beans, potatoes & gravy, and package it all up with two pieces of fruit plus the recipient's choice of coffee, decaf or fruit punch. Assembled by routes, the packages are handed off to 18-20 drivers by 10:30am. Then transition. More volunteers arrive to prepare for the Noon meal in the church's fellowship hall.

Greeters will stand at the door welcoming lunch guests and insure that no one sits alone. Each table will have a captain whose primary job is to get people talking with their tablemates. The captain also oversees two servers who pass the food, served family style, and to insure that no serving bowl is ever empty.

When asked about his favorite memory, a broken voiced Michalovic recalled a Christmas some 18 years ago, when he met a wealthy couple attending dinner. Their children had grown up and left, leaving the couple's house silent for the holidays. They thanked Michalovic for the opportunity to be together with him at Christmas. "No one has to be alone for Christmas," explained Michalovic.

The event is community sponsored. Lebanon Recreation & Parks Department fields the meal delivery requests. Sacred Heart Church donates the space. Lake Sunapee Bank sponsors the dessert. All the food is purchased from Price Chopper, who discounts their food to support the event. Longacres Nursery Center annually donates about 100 poinsettias and decorates the hall. A.B. Guile Insurance donates the needed coverage. Area realtors provide money for the turkeys. The balance of the approximate $2,000 event costs are raised by 4-5 major donations and several smaller ones.

Any food leftovers from the day's event will go to Upper Valley Haven, a homeless shelter, and possibly Headrest, a suicide intervention and addiction treatment program. The poinsettias will go home with dinner attendees.

Donation, volunteer and more information is available online at http://lebanonchristmasdinner.org.


Posted 11/15/15