Sharing Christmas Spirit at Elm Street

The Elm Street United Methodist Church hosted a free holiday dinner for its own South Portland neighborhood on Christmas Day and also for many others in surrounding communities.

Organized by the Rev. Andrea Harvey of Elm Street and her many volunteers from the congregation, the dinner  was put on with the help of volunteers from other United Methodist churches in the Casco Bay Cluster, including the Cape Elizabeth UMC.

Carol Haider and Mark McDowell from the Cape Elizabeth UMC prepare desserts for the Christmas Dinner.

More than 100 people were served during the two-hour dinner, both with sit-down meals in the church and with take-out orders.

The Rev. Andrea Harvey works in the kitchen prior to the dinner.

Thanks to numerous donations from the South Portland Food Pantry, Hannaford, Village Crossing and many private parties, the Elm Street kitchen was overflowing with festive food to meet everyone’s tastes. There were even gluten-free pastries donated by Portland’s Bam Bam Bakery.

Everyone who attended the dinner had his or her choice of turkey, ham, potatoes, squash, stuffing, peas, cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls, carrots and a wide range of desserts.

Young adults from Elm Street direct people on Broadway in South Portland to the free dinner.

Thank you to all the people who made this special event such a successful mission of the Casco Bay UMCs!

The Rev. Andrea Harvey directs volunteers before the dinner begins.