Christmas is a day for spending time with family, eating a nice meal and tearing off the wrapping paper from the presents Santa left under the tree.
But not everybody is fortunate enough to enjoy that kind of holiday. And that’s why Steve Duprey began hosting the Concord Community Holiday Dinner seven years ago. He wanted a way to give back during the holiday season, and with the Friendly Kitchen closed on Christmas Day, it just seemed to make sense. And after seeing all the good things that the late Louie Smirnioudis did every Thanksgiving at his Windmill Restaurant – feeding those in need – Duprey knew if he hosted it, many would come.
“I think it’s become an event, like Louie’s at the Windmill, where folks go for a good meal and a place to enjoy the holiday,” Duprey said.
The dinner has consistently brought in hundreds of people who don’t necessarily have anywhere else to go. So Duprey and his group of Christmas elves (also known as his trusty volunteers) spread a little holiday spirit each year in the form of some delicious grub and a warm place to go for a couple hours.
“I think it’s filled a need,” Duprey said.
The holiday dinner will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Christmas Day at the Grappone Conference Center and all are welcome. Even if you have a place to go for Christmas dinner, you should still stop by, because volunteers to help with the dinner and cleanup are still needed. There are jobs in the children’s room, where you will make and distribute Christmas cards, as well as for buffet runners, servers, stewards (a nice way of saying dishwashers) and the clean-up crew. Duprey said about 50 to 60 volunteers are required for a smooth operation.
“Many hands make light work,” Duprey said. “We’ve been fortunate that we have a lot of people who help out.”
Most of the volunteers are needed for the meal service, except for the stewards and cleanup crew who will be doing their work for a couple hours once the meal is finished.
“Hopefully all the spots will fill up,” Duprey said. “We sure can use the help.”
But a lot of the prep work begins before the doors open. The tables are set in the days leading up to Christmas, and the actual cooking of the meal, which is chef’s choice, begins very early in the morning. Last year featured pork loin and pot roast, and this year’s should be just as good.
“We get rave reviews,” Duprey said.
And by the time 1 p.m. rolls around, there’s usually quite a few hungry people ready to get in.
“We usually have people lined up at the door,” Duprey said.
So if your Christmas afternoon is looking a little open, there’s plenty of volunteer spots still needed to be filled. Visit concordholidaydinner.com for more info and to sign up.
“Many of the volunteers will make a point of coming up to me to tell me this has become a meaningful part of their Christmas Day,” Duprey said. “I think our volunteers get as much enjoyment out of it as the people who eat.”
