Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
|
|
 |
|
|
Scott Norman is seen in a Bulletin file photo. |
Thursday, December 17, 2009
By GINNY WRAY - Bulletin Staff Writer
The Community Christmas Dinner that was canceled has come back to life.
“Christmas is back on schedule,” said Scott Norman, who has been involved with the dinner for the past 23 years and has been its “chief cook and bottle washer” for the last 12.
The free dinner will be served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Christmas Day at First Baptist Church in Martinsville, and meals will be delivered to those who cannot make it to the church, Norman said.
Anyone is welcome, “no questions asked,” he said. “If they want fellowship, they don’t want to be alone on Christmas Day, are new in town, are pinched financially” or have any other reason, they are welcome.
Last year, 1,450 meals were served, Norman said. Of those, about 120 were to people who ate at the church, and the rest were delivered by volunteers.
In the past, the dinner was sponsored by the Mission Center, a residential program for men with addiction problems. The dinner raised funds for the center’s operations and also was a goodwill gesture it made toward the community, Norman said.
But last summer the center’s executive director, James Ayers, retired and the center closed, Norman said. Without a nonprofit partner to receive tax-deductible donations, the Christmas dinner was called off, Norman added.
“It was devastating,” he said.
When people started calling to ask him about the dinner, Norman said he told them he could not personally fund it, and he felt people would not donate if their contributions were not tax-deductible. Someone suggested he contact the United Way about being a partner, and the United Way suggested he talk to Grace Network, Norman said.
Grace provides short-term assistance for essential life needs during a crisis. Its services include food and financial assistance for housing, electric or home fuel bills.
“Grace said absolutely,” that it fit in with its mission, and it agreed to be the cosponsor of the dinner, Norman said.
Then former volunteers with the dinner started calling, and Norman told them that he would cook if enough money was raised to hold the dinner.
Last year, the dinner cost $3,500, and Norman said he had about half of that amount pledged as of Wednesday. He hopes that by this weekend or the first of next week, he will have enough money on hand to order the food.
“I’ve gone from devastated to overwhelmed. It’s amazing,” he said of the community outpouring.
The menu will be a traditional Christmas dinner — ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and desserts, Norman said.
The food will be cooked in the kitchens of First Baptist and The Gallery, which is owned by Whitney and Jay Engstrom and contributed for the event by Whitney’s father, Richard Sarver, Norman said.
Norman said he expects the volunteers to number about the same as last year — about 20 cooking and more than 100 serving and doing setups and deliveries. Several professional chefs in the area help behind the scenes with the cooking, he said, adding they are the “real talent making sure everything works right” yet want no credit for their contributions.
People interested in volunteering should call Norman at (276) 618-0631. For deliveries, call (276) 224-4896.
Donations of money also are being sought, Norman said. They should be made to the Grace Network and designated for the Christmas dinner, he said.
If any money is left over this year, Norman said it will be up to Grace whether to save it for next year’s dinner or use it for the assistance the organization provides.
Also, some of the proceeds from Saturday’s Home for the Holidays performances by the Theatre Stars group organized by Norman’s sister, Anne Norman, will be donated to Grace for the dinner, Norman said, adding that the group has supported the dinner for about a decade.
The performances of traditional Christmas music by local teenagers will be held at 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday at the National Guard Armory. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for seniors and students.
Now, Norman said he is “running in sprint mode” to pull off the dinner. But he is not complaining.
“As long as I’m physically able, there will be a Christmas dinner,” he said. |
| |
|
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
