The Knights of Columbus will offer Christmas dinners to families in the local area again this year.
The dinners will be served on Christmas Day, beginning around 10 a.m. The food will be prepared at the KC Hall next to the Mason County Public Library and volunteers will deliver the dinners throughout the day.
According to Kelly Ashley, with the KCs, the dinners will be a traditional Christmas meal, including turkey, ham, dressing, potatoes, green beans, applesauce and a roll.
“We’ll start preparing the dinners around 5 a.m.,” he said. “Our volunteers will deliver the food during the day. We deliver to Mason County and some in Aberdeen, Ohio. We have a few volunteers who might take some to Bracken County at the end of the day, but it’s mostly in Mason County.”
Ashley said there is no requirement to receive a dinner, but those needing meals should call before Christmas.
“You never know why someone needs a meal,” he said. “We may have people come in who can’t afford a meal, or someone who has a million dollars in their pocket, but no one to have dinner with on Christmas. We don’t ask the reasons when people call. All they have to do is tell us how many dinners they need.”
The meals have been served by the organization for years as a way to give back to the community, according to Ashley.
“We love Maysville and there are some people who don’t have a hot meal for Christmas,” he said. “We try to do things as a service for the community and this is one thing that we know we can provide for those who need it. If we can make Christmas a little brighter for someone, it’s worth it.”
According to Ashley, the phone numbers to call for delivery is Grant Felice at 606-584-2671 or Ashley at 606-584-2855.
On Dec. 21, the Mason County Food Bank will also have Christmas dinner boxes available from noon to 2 p.m.
Rebecca Cartmell, food bank director, said the boxes will have the traditional Christmas meals, which will include turkey, corn, green beans, potatoes, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, jello, fruit, rolls, milk, butter and a dessert mix.
Anyone needing a box will have to bring an ID for everyone in the household and a piece of mail that shows they live in the county.
“They have to live in Mason County,” Cartmell said. “We’ll need to see an ID for members of the household and a piece of mail that shows where they currently reside.”
Signing up ahead of time is also not required, according to Cartmell.
“They can come in on Saturday,” she said. “They used to make people sign up, but now they can show up and bring the required information. We’ll get them taken care of.”
Cartmell said the food bank is prepared to serve 450 families with the Christmas boxes.
“We’re happy to be able to provide this service to the community,” she said. “We want to make sure everyone can have a Christmas dinner and make their holidays a little brighter.”
