Dinner, gifts in time for Christmas
No questions, no judgment – just turkey and all the fixings for anyone who wants it
John Bartlett is not a big fan of Christmas – at least not the commercialized version of it. But when it comes to people in need during the holidays, or people alone at Christmas, he and his staff are among the first to step up.
For the fifth year he’s offering a free sit- down Christmas dinner for anyone who wants it. Turkeys plural. Piles of potatoes. Heaps of stuffing. Cranberries. All you can eat.
No questions, no judgment - the more the merrier.
“My staff will tell you I am not a lover of Christmas and what it has become,” said the owner of the Capitol Pub in Middleton. “But I do love the fact that we are able to provide something - because of all the support we have gotten from our customers over the years - to those who may be in need or just alone during a stressful time of the year for some.”
Bartlett said for him it all stems from his time with the military when he would find himself without a place to go Christmas Day. He had lots of invites, but he always felt like he’d be intruding on somebody’s Christmas.
“I always wanted some place to go, and that’s what we do this for,” he said. “But it’s also from my time in a nursing home working with the elderly. They might not be able, want to, have the energy to cook a meal – so it’s a place for them to go that’s free. Again, no pressure.”
And he believes it’s a bad time of year for a lot of people.
“Whether it be that everyone’s around their family, whether they have family to go to, whether it’s the advertising that goes on from October ‘ til now – it is a really bad time for a lot of people and it’s a bad time of year to be by yourself,” he said. “And we just try to make sure people aren’t by themselves. We give them an outlet. They can come here. And that’s really how we promote it. Maybe you just don’t want to be home alone. Come here.”
Volunteers
Bartlett has a lot of people who want to help out.
“We have a lot of volunteer support,” he said. “I have more volunteers who come in and want to do this than sometimes we have participants.”
And he believes for some of those volunteers going to the Capitol on Christmas Day may be about not being alone and also about giving back.
Plus staff comes in Christmas Day – some with their families – which he likes to see.
They’ve fed a few dozen people to more than 50. And they always have enough to feed 100 or more.
While staff does a lot of the prep work on Christmas Eve, Bartlett gets in early on Christmas Day to finish getting things ready in time to open the doors at 1 p. m. And they stay open until 4 p. m.
It’s a turkey dinner with all the fixings, including dessert, for anyone who finds themself unable to have their own meal, are alone, or just want to hang out. And they aren’t selling anything, no alcohol will be served or sold, and no games will be on.
Christmas Boxes
The Capitol’s Megan Giffin helps out at Christmas in a different way. She collects items for Christmas boxes and this year she’s able to help out three families – more than a dozen people all told, including a bunch of kids.
Because of her and people in the community, there will be presents under the tree and Christmas dinner on the table.
“I just feel like it’s a nice thing to do, to help out people,” she said. “It’s just nice to pass on a little bit of goodness when you can.”
With two school- aged children herself, she sees the need in the community – a lot of need.
She created a Facebook group called Capitol Pub Family Gift Drive, and lots of people have been helping her fill those boxes – including the Rotary Club of Middleton who donated $ 200 towards the effort.
In the Facebook group she’s listed the items needed, and people find them for her. Like the Rotary Club, some donated cash and she does the shopping.
“A lot of stuff is really simple which is great. A lot of clothes – pajamas, socks, mittens - everything for their meals,” said Giffin. “The toys they do ask for are not a lot. It doesn’t take much to give people the few things they do want.”
And she buys a few things for the parents as well.
“So everyone has something under the tree,” said Bartlett.
And then there’s the food. “They get a hamper with a turkey, all the fixings for dinner, and some treats, and chocolates, and stuff like that,” said Giffin.
They get help from a few local businesses as well, and a list of those who helped out is available in the Facebook group.