VIDEO: ORGANIZER LAURIE DELAGARZA SPEAKS ON THE EVENT
VIDEO: WILLIAM AND TIFFANY OLSICK ON VOLUNTEERING
VIDEO: CHURCH MEMBER JUDY TOCHTERMAN SPEAKS ON THE EVENT
Several hundred people from throughout Delta County turned out Tuesday for the annual Community Christmas Dinner in Gladstone.
Organizer Laurie Kaufman-DeLaGarza says a lot went into organizing the event.
“We’ve got members of our team who are specifically tasked with doing the shopping, specifically tasked with setting up the dining room, making sure it’s beautiful,” DeLaGarza told RRN News. “We have our cooks and potato peelers and our potato mashers. All kinds of people making sure that it comes together.”
She says that it is a combination of people eating at the buffet-style meal, and those eating from home.
“We have delivered 201 meals today,” DeLaGarza said. “We’ve got a number of people coming in for take-outs because they have family members that can’t get here,” DeLaGarza said. “We expected to serve, in this dining room, between 200 and 300 additional persons.”
Fourteen year-old William Olsick volunteered at the dinner alongside his mother, and with the rest of the army of volunteers.
“I think they’re really great to take time out of their day, just to help other people,” he said. “I think it’s helping with the community. Just helping out.”
It was the 16th year for the Christmas dinner. It was the work of seven Gladstone churches, and was held at the Memorial United Methodist Church.
