CHIMACUM — Rotarians are helping to continue the tradition of a free Christmas dinner at the Tri-Area Community Center in Chimacum.
The free meal will be served from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road in Chimacum.
Elena Lovato-Kraut and her husband Bill Kraut, owners of Hadlock Building Supply and members of the East Jefferson County Rotary Club, took over the dinner in 2015 after it almost didn’t happen.
After 21 years of hosting the meal, Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCap) officials had determined the organization could no longer support the event.
“There just wasn’t enough money or volunteers,” Lovato-Kraut said.
So volunteers and members of the East Jefferson County Rotary Club, as well as with local churches, jumped in to help to ensure the tradition continued.
In the end, two Christmas meals were served in 2015 — one at the Tri-Area center, with the help of OlyCap, and one in Port Townsend.
One free feast will be served this year and it will be at the traditional locale, the Tri-Area Community Center.
“The Rotary did the Thanksgiving dinner” while working with OlyCap “and has kind of taken this dinner under its wing to build some stability for the event,” Lovato-Kraut said.
“That’s worked for us since we’re Rotarians.”
Lovato-Kraut said being a small business owner and a member of Rotary has help her build connections in the community, which makes pulling together enough food and volunteers much easier.
Lovato-Kraut has collected a donation from Jefferson Healthcare, local bakery Pane d’Amore donated more than 300 rolls and Farm’s Reach Cafe in Chimacum donated 60 pumpkin pies for the occasion.
Aside from bread and pie, the menu for Sunday consists of ham, lasagna, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy and salad.
Lovato-Kraut said volunteers brought back the option of home delivery for those who can’t make it to the meal.
Home deliveries will be done by a few of the more than 70 volunteers who have signed up to help at this year’s dinner.
“We have 85 people on the list,” as volunteers, Lovato-Kraut said, “but I’m expecting about 75 people for sure.”
One volunteer, Nan Toby, will be supplying the entertainment with music on the piano. She did the same for the free Thanksgiving meal in November.
“She’s just wonderful,” Lovato-Kraut said.
Like the Thanksgiving meal, this Christmas day event is open to all.
“There’s just a great community feel about it,” Lovato-Kraut said. “It’s not just people who are down on their luck, but also people who just want some company or to experience some Christmas spirit.”
Lovato-Kraut said volunteers don’t know how many people attended last year’s Christmas feast, but the Thanksgiving dinner year pulled in more than 150 people. Similar numbers are expected for Sunday’s meal, perhaps more if the weather is good, she said.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
