CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Bon Air Presbyterian Church in Chesterfield County hosted day one of meal preparation Monday morning for Bridging RVA’s 11th annual Community Christmas Day Dinner. About a dozen volunteers began their shifts at 9:30 a.m. wheeling in pans of turkey to be weighed and portioned for Thursday’s dinner.
“Our volunteers will get to work doing the turkey, making the macaroni and cheese, and just getting the pies going and everything ready for the dinner so it's good on Christmas day,” said the nonprofit’s executive director Lee Ann Sawyer.
Over four days, about 300 volunteers help prepare the 3,000 meals and will serve the dinners from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Congregation Beth Ahabah at 1111 West Franklin Street in Richmond.
Anyone in need of a meal or fellowship on Christmas Day can attend and receive a hot dinner.
“We've got wonderful partners including the churches that sponsor us and that give us their spaces. Congregation Beth Ahabah, for the last eight years, has opened their doors. They've provided security, and they've provided help. They say ‘It's yours, use it,’” Sawyer added.
Performance Food Group provides a refrigerated trailer and driver to store the meals until Thursday.
Chef Carlos at the Double Tree Hotel in Northern Chesterfield prepares, cuts and stores turkeys, while River City Diner in Midlothian donated 150 gallons of mashed potatoes.
“We received this week 850 pounds of turkey along with all the sides. Today our job is slicing turkey and portioning it out. So when we put the meals together, we just pull a portion out and put it on the plates and heat it up,” Sawyer said.
Linda Abbey has chosen to donate her time to the cause and has helped decorate and set up the meal on Christmas Day in recent years
“It's so satisfying to share at Christmas and to give time, I think is something we all value and to show people. We're not willing to just give money, but we really want to be part of the whole celebration with people,” Abbey said.
Sawyer said Bridging RVA’s mission focuses on unmet needs in the community.
Financial contributions from the community help make the Christmas dinner possible including the nonprofit’s 150 beds for 150 kids initiative.
“There are so many great nonprofits in our area, so rather than duplicate efforts we look for unmet needs and then bring volunteers and resources to bear,” said board member Ellen Thornhill. “Whether its food, beds for kids, shelter, addiction resources--you name it--we want to meet those needs and build a stronger RVA.”
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