Area Organizations To Prep Community Christmas Meals For Thousands This Year

(KNSI) – Agape Ministries is turning up the heat for its sixth community meal this Christmas.

Ovens will be full of ham, pasta, alfredo, turkey, and even tacos, all of which are on the menu. Sides will include mashed potatoes, salads, and stuffing.

Eric Moyer is a veteran. His adjustment to life stateside inspired him to begin serving dinners to others. “I had a hard time after coming back from the war. And once things got a little bit better for me, God put it on my heart that he said there’s many other people who sit alone also. So, we started putting on Christmas dinner. First one was about 70 to 80 folks.”

Now Agape is up to around 2,000 meals and will even be helping Place of Hope this year. Agape works out of the East Side VFW. The meal runs from 11:15 to 2:00, with a mix of to-go orders and in-person dining.

The work at Agape is year-round. Moyer estimates they have given away 10,000 pounds of food in 2023.

Place of Hope Ministries is serving over 220 people at its two St. Cloud shelters this holiday season. With the fire at the Salvation Army facility last month, the need is overflowing.

Pastor Carol Smith says there will be two meals served on Christmas Day. Volunteers are still needed, and monetary donations are welcomed, too. Smith says Place of Hope would also be grateful if you helped in smaller ways.

“I will say this. One of the things that normally we have people donate during the holiday season is like meat and cheese trays, cookie trays, fruit trays, things like that, fruit baskets, and I’m going to say that we have got almost none of that this year.”

The pastor says the need for help won’t end with the holiday. She says with the extra people being cared for, the shelters need more volunteers for the overnight shift, in particular.

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