PUEBLO – It was a holiday miracle for those less fortunate in Pueblo: having a free Christmas meal to share with others.
An annual community dinner was held at Family Worship Center, an event that Steel City Supporters said at one point was up in the air. When the annual Thanksgiving meal didn’t happen this year due to miscommunication and planning issues, the group shared that they were devastated. After that, they vowed they were going to make the Christmas dinner happen this year.
Daniel Lynne of Steel City Supporters said the people at the dinner were “those that don’t have a home, homeless, don’t have family to spend it with, don’t have the means to put on a meal, or just want good company.”
The hearty meal included mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, stuffing, vegetables, and plenty of pie to go around.
Attendee Marcos Madina said, “We enjoy this every year. Every year we come here.”
His grandson, Alex Garcia, said, “It’s just really great because we get to see all kinds of different faces…my favorite part is my dad is sitting next to me, my grandpa.”
Some people in the crowd, like Brenda Aranda, weren’t able to spend the holiday with their family. However, Aranda shared that “all these people just make me feel like I have my family again.”
For many of the people receiving a meal, it was the kind of gift they needed most.
Aranda said, “It’s wonderful that these people do this for us…if they didn’t there’d be some pretty sad people today…right now I’m behind in my rent…I have no food. I can’t even afford that right now.”
Her message to the people that made this dinner possible: “They made my Christmas. They made my year.”
As for Lynne, he believes that “if we can change one person’s life or have an impact on one person’s life then we made a difference. Just seeing people smile, to have a warm meal.”
A shuttle service ran from downtown to Family Worship Center. 80 meals were also delivered to those that were homebound.
