Annual community Christmas dinner delivers successful drive-thru event

The community Christmas dinner has been a much-anticipated event for 14 years.
It provides a gathering for people who otherwise might not have had an opportunity to have a Christmas meal or share a sit-down holiday meal with others.
Then there are those who just enjoy the mutual camaraderie with a good meal.
The Chase County Ministerial Alliance sponsors this free annual holiday dinner.
Turkeys and hams are provided with tables of side dishes and pies donated by Imperial churches.
The dinner is manned solely by volunteers from the community.
 COVID-19 has become a common subject these days, and people are learning to adapt to the changes caused by the virus.
The community Christmas dinner was no exception.
It was decided that safety and precaution were warranted this year, so instead of a large indoor gathering as in past years, a drive-thru system was chosen.
    Christmas Day was greeted with sunshine and cool but mild weather.
    The dinner was headquartered at Crossroads Wesleyan Church this year with boxed dinners handed out as vehicles formed a line and drove through a designated area to pick them up.
    Volunteers on the drive-thru line greeted attendees with friendly smiles and a “Merry Christmas” as well as some light banter to keep up a festive atmosphere.
    An estimated 40 volunteers helped prepare the 172 meals provided Friday.
    Besides deliveries to some individuals at home, meals were also delivered to on-duty staff at Kwik Stop, Chase County Community Hospital and the Chase County Dispatch.