Volunteers make Christmas merrier and brighter
Groups help cook and serve Christmas dinner at Opportunity House and the Hope Rescue Mission
Alneasa Jordan didn’t know she was starting an annual tradition in 2017 when she recruited a few family members and friends to cook Christmas dinner for residents of Opportunity House in Reading.
Jordan of Lower Alsace Township volunteers several times a month at Opportunity House, a social service organization that operates a homeless shelter on North Second Street.
“I always check the calendar to see which days are open,” she said. “When I saw no one signed up for Christmas, it broke my heart.”
Now in its sixth year, the Alneasa and Friends annual Christmas dinner Sunday at the shelter drew nearly 30 volunteers, including her children JayJay, 17; Jaison, 12; and Carmen, 10.
“It’s been great,” JayJay said of the volunteer effort. “Every year, it gets better and better.”
A member of the Berks Catholic High School football team, JayJay took a tip from his mother and rallied some friends of his own from among the players on his and Reading High School’s teams.
One of these was teammate Andrew Kurtas, 17, who just happens to drive a pickup truck, the perfect substitute for Santa’s sleigh on a Christmas without snow.
Aided by his parents, Andy and Kelly, and siblings Gabriella, 19, and Johnny, 12, Andrew loaded more than 300 donated gifts and transported them from the Jordan home to the shelter.
The family also helped cook and serve the meal Sunday morning.
For the Kurtas family of Amity Township, it was their first Christmas spent volunteering at the shelter, but it won’t be their last, Kelly said. Now that the children growing older, she said, the family decided it was time to start a new tradition.
After the meal, the gifts stacked high in the hallway outside the shelter’s dining room were distributed to residents by Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, also known as Ben and Amy Schiavone of Exeter Township.
The Schiavones have been portraying the jolly old couple for several years at the shelter.
“We look forward to it,” Amy said.
Christmas at Opportunity House also is a tradition for Ivana Schlott and her daughter Kylah, 25, of Muhlenberg Township.
The mother and daughter have spent every Christmas morning for the past five years helping in the shelter’s kitchen. The Schlotts, who have no connection to Alneasa or football, learned about the event on social media and watch for the announcement each December.
“There is no better way to start your day than by helping others,” Ivana said.
A group of volunteers also helped make Christmas merrier and brighter for residents of the Hope Rescue Mission.
The volunteers, staff and some of the residents worked together for days preparing the food and decorating the dining hall of the men’s shelter, 645 N. Sixth St., before serving the meal Sunday.
“We’re trying to make it as festive as possible,” said Robert Turchi, executive director, “trying to bring some happiness during a time when the men are not with their families.”
Many of the 60 residents in the mission’s transitional housing program spent the day with family or friends, he said, but the majority of the 150 or so in the emergency shelter program had nowhere else to go.
The holidays can be depressing to those without families or those separated from their loved ones, Turchi said.
“We love filling bellies,” he said, “but people’s hearts need to be filled, too. We want to make people feel valued.”
Seeing the residents and valuing them as individuals is one of the more important things the shelter’s staff and volunteers do, he said.
Rather than material presents, he said, the men are given the gifts of being welcomed, accepted, cared about and loved.
“God loves each of these guys,” Turchi said, “So we try to do the same.”
Christmas came a day early more than 160 Berks County senior citizens.
The county Area Agency on Aging hosted its 53rd annual Christmas dinner Saturday at the Double Tree by Hilton Reading hotel, 701 Penn St.
The dinner is open to county residents 60 and older who otherwise would be alone on Christmas.
After a traditional meal of turkey, ham and assorted sides and dessert, attendees were entertained by Elvis Presley impersonator Jeff Krick. They also had a special visit from Santa Claus, portrayed by Anthony Tucci.
About 20 volunteers helped transport seniors to and from the event, agency director Jessica M. Jones said
Jones said volunteers also delivered about 115 meals to those senior citizens unable to leave their homes.