Most Christmas gatherings draw about 10 to 20 guests, but on Tuesday, the Erie City Mission celebrated with more than 200 people.
The Erie City Mission invited the community to its full-service Christmas lunch on Tuesday morning, serving their guests a full plate of ham, mashed potatoes and corn.
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The holiday season can be difficult for people facing food insecurity, and one manager said that the lunch is not just designed to give people a warm meal but offer their guests comfort and dignity.
“We don’t know if Christmas is happy to them or not, but we want to make it a better situation to them than maybe they’ve experienced in the past,” said Elijah Chadsey, the food service manager for the mission. “To us, Christmas is like family.”
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“It’s just to help them have a little respite from the difficult life they lead, I think that’s what’s really important to do,” said Jeffrey McAninch, a volunteer. “Like I said, to be a blessing as you’re blessed.”
The Erie City Mission serves lunch every day at their cafeteria on French Street from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. but will be closed on Christmas Day.
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