Trending
YOUNGSTOWN -- Nearly 400 guests attended the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Mahoning County's annual Christmas dinner Thursday in the basement of the former SS. Cyril and Methodius Church near the city's downtown.
A second dinner will take place 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, welcoming visitors to return for more meals, gifts and other holiday donations.
"When I come down here, I come and eat," Alynn Grant of Youngstown said. "But when they need help, I come and help. I have a wife who has three kids of her own, and I was able to grab basketballs, Barbie dolls and Frozen dolls."
Grant said what makes the Christmas dinners special is the family feeling.
"I love my family, and my family is spread out, so it's nice just to be around people," Grant said.
Two organizers of the event, Executive Director Michael Stepp and Mahoning District President Anne Kravitz, explained that most of the food and donations, for nearly 20 years, has come from individuals in the community and area grocery stores.
"All of our food is prepared here on-site," Kravitz said. "We did have donated hams, but they are baked here. Everything is prepared in our little kitchen, on-site, by our staff and volunteers. We have a wonderful volunteer base, and because of their donation of time, and monetary donations over the years, we're able to do this."
Stepp elaborated on the volunteers, stating "We have people from our member churches that are working here and volunteering. We have students from schools across the area and also some individuals from different community organizations from all over the area. So this is a community event, also, for the people who are working here."
The organization serves at the same location every day except Sundays, between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Stepp said about 1,000 meals are served every week at the church.
"It's tough to quantify," Stepp said about the contributions. "A lot of our stuff is donated, but over the last few years, we've seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who use our services. And we've also seen a big increase in the cost of food. So, I would say it's about a 30-40% increase, when you combine costs and the number of people. We really rely heavily on donations from folks in the community."
Kravitz and Stepp, both of Boardman, said the satisfaction of making a difference in people's lives, in addition to the fellowship, is what they enjoy most about the dinners.
A MEAL AND A GIFT
Howard Glover of Youngstown said his cousin called him and said to get to the church for something to eat. "God brought me down here," Glover said. "I just came down here to get the food. It's a blessing."
Glover also said he would be making his way to the second floor of the church to get a gift for his niece from Santa. "Anything for a girl," Glover said when asked if he was looking for anything in particular.
Matthew Turner of Barberton said he goes to the church regularly for meals in the afternoons.
"I'm from out of town, so I try to stay away from people," Turner said. "I just kind of eat my meal and, I guess, get on my way."
Lamont Underwood of Youngstown's East Side said he went to the church after walking downtown, seeing the line, and "just deciding to stop."
"I come around here every year," Underwood said. "I just enjoy being around people. I get to meet a lot of people when I come around here."
Underwood, who said he isn't much of a "holiday person," explained "Yeah, I got a meal and that's my experience of the holiday season. And I grabbed gifts for my sons, who are 7 and 9."
YOUTHFUL GIVING
Francesca Battaglini, 14, of New Middletown, stood at a table giving away socks to people in need. She said it's something she does every year.
"I come here every year just to help out, pass out socks, and make sure people find the sizes that they need," Battaglini said. "There's usually a lot of people, more than Thanksgiving. And they can use them (socks) as presents, or just get them for themselves."
Battaglini said the best part about her participation is the community helping her through local business donating socks and proceeds to her charity.
Canfield High School senior Faith Morell and junior Alexis Johnson stood by Santa, who was passing out donated gifts to families. Both of them also participated in the Christmas event last year.
"I like seeing the kids' faces," Johnson said. "It feels good to know you're helping out the community and giving back."
Morell added, "It's going to help me become a better person." She continued, "Especially after I graduate high school. I'll be able to do more things on my own, while making sure to help others."
The two students, who play softball for Canfield, said the event overall is "very fulfilling," and that it "feels good to give back to everyone."
"People need to do this as often as they can," Johnson said. "It really does feel good helping out those who are in need."