Hope’s Kitchen handed out traditional holiday meals on Christmas Day in Cortez.
The soup kitchen is part of First United Methodist Church, and its staff and volunteers regularly provide free meals three times per week for people in the community.
This year, the traditional sit-down community Christmas dinner had to be canceled because of the pandemic.
But Hope’s Kitchen stepped up to provide to-go meals specifically for families in need. Meals were not available to the broader public.
When Christmas fell on a Friday, “our 12 volunteers said ‘we normally serve that day anyway, so we’ll be here,’” said Jean Schwien, pastor for First United Methodist.
Clients to receive meals were identified from social services, Grace’s Kitchen, Hope’s Kitchen, Good Samaritan Center and The Bridge Shelter, among other agencies. Hope’s was prepared to hand out 250 meals.
“We did not serve as many as expected, but all were grateful for the meal,” Schwien said.
The menu includes baked ham and all the sides, plus dessert and a candy cane.
The Cortez Walmart is provided half-price discounts on food items needed to cook up the holiday meal. Tuffy Security Products provided the pies, and the Sharehouse Community Food Center provided potatoes grown in the San Luis Valley, plus a cash donation.