Through the past two decades, gracious volunteers have served
the county’s less fortunate residents each Thanksgiving and
Christmas at Marley Holte’s annual holiday dinners in the Sacred
Heart School gym.
That hasn’t changed, as hundreds more came this past
Thanksgiving, and hundreds more are expected Christmas Day.
What has evolved, though, is the way many people are served,
according to Holte, a San Juan Bautista resident.
Through the past two decades, gracious volunteers have served the county’s less fortunate residents each Thanksgiving and Christmas at Marley Holte’s annual holiday dinners in the Sacred Heart School gym.
That hasn’t changed, as hundreds more came this past Thanksgiving, and hundreds more are expected Christmas Day.
What has evolved, though, is the way many people are served, according to Holte, a San Juan Bautista resident.
Holte expects the demand for meals delivered to residents’ homes to approach the 180 carryout orders on Thanksgiving.
It’s a phenomenon, he said, that captured Holte’s group by surprise – that number, 180, being three times that of any previous dinner.
Overall this Christmas, including deliveries, he estimated 700-800 people will consume the free meals.
“We need a lot of drivers now,” said Holte, who has organized the dinners since 1985. “That was a big surprise at Thanksgiving, but we handled it.”
The dinner will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Christmas at the O’Reilly Youth Center at Sacred Heart School, 670 College St. A board of directors comprised of 15 residents, along with Holte, organize the two dinners each year. The process includes several meetings throughout the year.
On the menu for Christmas – an experiment of sorts – the group has decided to serve tri-tip, a deviation from the traditional turkey course. With most of the people there being of Mexican decent, he said, the board has wondered whether turkey is a familiar food for many.
“We thought, well, we’ll try something new,” he said.
Turkey will be back as well, with smoked and roasted varieties, along with potatoes and other staples of traditional holiday feasts, he said. All the food is donated and Holte said he still hasn’t spent any of his own money since the meals began.
Santa Claus is also returning and will hand out toys with the help of “Santa’s helpers” to attending children, Holte said.
Holte hopes to have 70-80 volunteers for next week’s dinner, including two groups on Dec. 24 to deliver grocery bags and prepare the turkeys, he said.
For information about volunteering, call either 630-3109 or 637-0566. To donate food or toys, call Holte at 623-4313.
