The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
DINNER IS ON US
Hundreds of locals gather for holiday meal at Willoughby United Methodist Church
On Christmas Day, Willoughby United Methodist Church opened their doors to all for their annual Free Christmas Meal.
Guests were welcome to feast on an array of foods including ham, turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green beans and a wide array of desserts.
Church Administrator Julie Galicz said the event was a part of their Meal and a Message program, which offers weekly, free home-cooked meals.
“We do this every week for our Meal and a Message, but today we’re doing Christmas dinner, and it’s a good place for people to come if they’re lonely or have nowhere else to go today,” Galicz said.
Galicz said the annual Christmas dinner has been a tradition at the Willoughby United Methodist Church for well over a decade, with her involvement coordinating the meals spanning the last seven years.
She said there is a lot of work that goes into organizing the dinners.
“The people who come in and volunteer do it because they love to serve. This is what our church is about — it’s about discipleship.” — Julie Galicz, church administrator
“To put this together, we have to get donations, coordinate who is cooking, who is volunteering, how the
room is getting set up, taking count of people so we know how many to expect for next year and we really try to set the tables and everything up so that it’s a community setting.”
On top of that, Galicz said volunteers are needed
to shop for the meal, bring food in, and Galicz said many parishioners bake cookies.
Galicz said they were expecting between 200 and 300 people to show up for the Christmas Day meal and all the leftover food is
donated.
Willoughby United Methodist Church hosts Meal and a Message every Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m. The church says all are welcome to attend, and they encourage guests to bring family and friends
along with them.
The meals are held in Willoughby United Methodist Church’s Fellowship Hall located in Downtown Willoughby at 15 Public Square.
Galicz said the church continues to carry on the tradition of serving their
public meals because it falls in line with their faith and mission of helping others.
“The people who come in and volunteer do it because they love to serve,” Galicz said. “This is what our church is about — it’s about discipleship.”