The 44th annual Community Christmas Dinner in Wausau is just one day away, and that means volunteers are hard at work Monday setting up.
Around 60 people peeled potatoes, set tables and bagged fruit and candy. It's all for the 200 hungry people who will come to First Methodist United Church on Christmas at noon.
"The people who are served could be people without family, they could be people who have no other source of Christmas dinner," said volunteer John Townshend. "So it's a mixture of people from our community who take advantage of the opportunity of getting together with others and many times they're in need."
The meals are free, and another 300 or so will be delivered to people's doors by noon.
"It's just a nice to give them something that lets folks know they are thought of," said co-coordinator Chris McNutt.
The $2,500 worth of food, plus place settings, flowers and the donated space, comes from both a fund set up for the event and the community's generosity.
"The most exciting thing for me this year has been the families that have volunteered," McNutt said. "We have a whole bunch of kids that are in our fellowship hall that are putting nuts in bags and putting napkins on the table. It's just so neat to see moms and dads and the kids doing it together."
Santa is also expected to stop by after everyone is done eating.
