Correspondent photo / Sean Barron From left, Campbell Mayor Bill Valentino; Michele Basile and Sonia Tsvetkoff, both members of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church; and Michael Gibson of Youngstown, serve a buffet-style dinner for residents at the church Thursday evening.

CAMPBELL — Judging by his black-and-gold attire, it wasn’t a big leap to ascertain that Dexter Seybert is a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

He’s also a big fan of a local church’s outreach efforts.

“We’re both on disability, so we don’t get a lot,” Seybert, of Campbell, said, also referring to his fiancee, Karen Kornbau.

Suffice it to say, however, that on at least one occasion, the two of them did get a lot, because they were among the city residents who partook of a holiday-themed buffet-style dinner Thursday evening at St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, 301 Struthers-Liberty Road.

The meal consisted of haluska and sauerkraut, green beans, chicken noodle soup, pizza for children and stuffed cabbage. Dessert also was provided. Enough food had been prepared to serve up to 200 people, the Rev. Andrew Bartek, church pastor, noted.

The two-hour outreach effort aligned with Matthew 25:31-45, said Bartek, who has served four years as lead pastor. The passage states, in essence, that God provided food for those who were hungry, water for those who were thirsty, a welcome to strangers and care for the sick. The Scripture also says that those who fail to help Jesus Christ’s people also fail to do so for his sake.

“It also makes our parishioners more aware of what we should do as Christians,” Bartek said, adding that nearly half of his church’s 68 members assisted with Thursday’s dinner.

Leftover food is to be distributed to residents at Vasu Manor and Sycamore Place, both of which provide housing for senior citizens and are in Campbell, Nancy Tusinac, St. John the Baptist’s parish council president, noted.

Tusinac is a 50-year church member who also worked 50 years in human services, including assisting those with intellectual challenges. The longtime member joined the church after having returned to the Mahoning Valley from New Jersey, she said.

“They’re wonderful people who are willing to help. They’re just very good people,” Tusinac said, referring to Thursday’s volunteers.

In the spirit of his late longtime friend, Bryan K. Tedesco, Mayor Bill Valentino has made being visible and participatory in events such as the dinner a priority, he said while taking a brief break from being part of the serving line.

Tedesco, who served four years as mayor, died unexpectedly in his sleep April 2. He was 67.

Before that, Tedesco had served 22 years as a city councilman and was known for putting his heart into, and strongly advocating for, a slew of city projects and cleanup efforts, including tearing down dozens of Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. row houses that had fallen into disrepair and contributed to neighborhood blight, along with seeking funding for a full-service grocery store.

In addition, Bartek “does a lot for the city,” so Valentino was more than happy to give back in return to the church and community, he said.

Such efforts, wrapped in a blanket of holiday spirit, weren’t lost on Kornbau.

“The people who work here are nice, the food is good and we’re very happy they’re doing this for people,” she said.