ROBESONIA, Pa – What was your first meal of 2026?
“Lotta beans, lotta sauerkraut and a lot of pork,” said volunteer Steve Miller.
And hopefully, a lot of luck for those who ventured out to places like St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Robesonia and Brecknock Township Fire Company for a traditional New Year’s Day dinner.
“We did over 200 pounds this year, and that’s a three-day process,” Miller explained.
New Year’s Day dinners like these mean a lot to the myriad of churches, fire halls, and other places that serve them.
“This is our third biggest fundraiser, and everybody likes it. It’s a tradition,” Miller said.
The heaping, steaming holiday helpings do more than just fill the stomach on the first day of the new year.
“I don’t have any family left anymore, so this is the next thing, and I like to support churches,” said Janice Kingkinger of Sinking Spring.
Some of these dinners really bring out the big crowds, and that’s the case here in Brecknock Township, where they’re working with a skeleton crew of volunteers to keep this New Year’s Day tradition alive.
“We serve between 200 and 350 people. Normally, we have a lot of takeouts. I’m not sure how many we hit so far, but we’re very busy,” said Merry Swavely, a volunteer.
Holiday support in both directions.
“We need all the fundraising we can get, so this is one of our bigger fundraisers,” she said.
And so, another year starts – like those in the past – with some pork, sauerkraut – and a big helping of hope.
“As long as the people are happy and we keep ’em fed, we are good.”
Happy New Year.