Home Alone…Not!

Friends Group Seeks To Serve
Those In Need on Christmas

By CASPAR EWIG

ONEONTA – No one should be without a Christmas dinner and, consistent with this sentiment, the St. Mary’s Friends of Christmas Dinner is continuing its 35-year tradition of providing meals to those who would otherwise go without or eat alone. Approximately 1,200 meals will either be delivered on Christmas Day from St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church to locations that have registered with the Friends of Christmas, or they will be available for pickup at the Lord’s Table, which is operated by St. James Episcopal Church. For those who would like to eat in fellowship, the meal will be served as a sit-down dinner between noon and 3 p.m. at the American Legion on 279 Chestnut Street, Oneonta.

In addition to residents of Nader Towers or other designated locations, any person who lives within a 15-mile radius of Oneonta can get a meal delivered by dialing 211 on their cell phone to be connected to United Way. After receiving their address and contact details, United Way will collate and pass all requests to Friends of Christmas, who will complete the delivery of the meal on Christmas Day.

This year’s operation is both a continuation of a tradition and the inauguration of an expansion.

It all began in 1987 when Peg Cauley and Jean London, two professors at SUNY Oneonta, were serving a community Thanksgiving dinner and decided that the same offering should be made at Christmas. Thus, the tradition was born and is now being continued under the leadership of Mary Ann Hartmann and Kendra Beijen.

“The offer to share in a Christmas meal or to have one delivered is open to everyone,” said Hartmann. “It matters not whether a person is down-at-the-heels or a millionaire but alone. For anyone who needs a meal or wants to eat in companionship, Friends is there to fill the need.”

In addition, this year is a bit of an inauguration in that the Bill Bandera Family and the Community Alliance, Inc.—who have been running a similar program in Binghamton-Endicott for some 30 years—decided to expand into Oneonta and team up with the Friends. Their participation will provide much needed assistance and also bring in additional suppliers of product.

“The operation,” as Hartmann described, “is truly a collective effort and reflects the great community support.”
The meals, which consist of ham, turkey and its dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, cranberry and apple sauces, rolls, pieces of pie, and fresh fruit, are cooked at the kitchen facilities of St. Mary’s, the First United Methodist Church and the Lord’s Table. The food is then consolidated at St. Mary’s for distribution. Any leftovers are donated to the Lord’s Table and to Saturday’s Bread, a meal service operated by the Methodist Church.

The entire operation is run by volunteers, “and we are always in need of cooks, food preparers and servers, meal delivery drivers and, of course, hands to help clean up,” said Hartmann.

“Those wishing to volunteer any time from December 22 through December 25 can call me at (607) 226-1785,” she said.

Hartmann also noted that the Friends of Christmas would be glad to accept cash as well as food donations such as Christmas cookies, fruit pies, sweet (like banana) breads or Hawaiian dinner rolls.