SCRANTON — Bob Bolus’ annual Christmas dinner started in 1998 with an extra pallet of frozen turkeys that his trucking company ended up with after making deliveries from a refrigeration company to stores.
After the stores got all of their orders filled, there were dozens of frozen turkeys left over. The refrigeration company did not want them back and told Bolus to do with them as he saw fit. So, he put on a free Christmas Day dinner for the community at St. Lucy’s Church in West Scranton.
“Somehow, I ended up with an extra pallet” of turkeys, Bolus said. “I said why don’t we have a dinner. We’ve got all of these turkeys.”
With only a week’s notice and having never before hosted such a dinner, Bolus had no idea what to expect. He was pleasantly surprised to get a crowd of about 250 people at that first dinner, “and that’s what started it.”
He has continued to hold the dinner annually ever since, eventually outgrowing the original venue and moving it to a larger one.
Now, the Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy at 1425 Jackson St. in West Side from noon to 6 p.m.
Bolus again expects a sizable crowd, as well as several volunteers, and with many coming out as much for the goodwill and fellowship as for the turkey dinner with all the fixings.
Each attendee also will leave with a takeout dinner.
Bolus also will have meals delivered, two per household, to those who cannot get to the dinner hall.
For delivery or information, call 272-250-3128. All takeout delivery orders must be placed no later than Wednesday.
“We don’t take any calls on Christmas Day,” he said.
That’s because Bolus and volunteers will start early on Christmas Day and get the deliveries done first, before the sit-down dinner starts at noon.
Last year, the event provided over 3,000 dinners at the buffet and delivered about 400 meals, he said.
Bolus and volunteers have decked the dinner hall with large inflatable decorations, including Santas, snowmen and more, for a festive atmosphere and Christmas cheer.
“You come in and just enjoy the camaraderie,” Bolus said, encouraging attendees to leave drama at the door. “You eat what you want and stay as long as you want.”
A flyer for the event says, “Don’t spend Christmas alone.” Those who can’t get to the dinner appreciate having the takeouts delivered, said volunteer Jan Morgan of Carbondale, who is logging the delivery orders. She had 427 delivery orders booked so far, as of 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. About 10 volunteers will deliver the dinners. Another 10-15 volunteers will help serve at the buffet dinner, and several more will help cook and with kitchen duties. Morgan has a good time volunteering.
“I do enjoy doing it. I love to see people smile,” Morgan said. “A lot of people don’t have anyone to spend Christmas with.”
Scranton resident Les Spindler has volunteered at the dinner for the past 22 years and will be there again this year.
After his first time volunteering, “I went out of there and it was so rewarding,” Spindler said. “The rest is history. I kept going every year.”
Bolus funds the event himself and does not offer a cost estimate. This year, he has 15,000 pounds of pre-cooked turkey breasts from Plainville Farms near Gettysburg. He used to cook a few hundred whole turkeys for the annual dinner, but that resulted in a lot of bones and waste, and he has since found that heating up pre-cooked turkey breasts to be a better way to do the dinner.
“It’s my pleasure. I enjoy doing this,” said 83-year-old Bolus. “To be honest with you, I could be anywhere in the world (on Christmas Day). I don’t want to be anywhere else but right here.”
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows a serving table at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows a flier for the event. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
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The Bob Bolus Sr. 32nd Annual Christmas Day Dinner will be held Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church/All Saints Academy, 1425 Jackson St., in West Scranton from noon to 6 p.m. Photo taken Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 shows decorations at the hall. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)