By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor
On Christmas, many people gather with family members, friends or neighbors to celebrate the holiday. But some people don’t have anyone to spend the day with.
The kitchen crew was overseen by Chef Richard Slusarz (left).
Enter Holland Lowe, executive director of Operation Provider. For more than three decades, she and her nonprofit have mounted a Christmas dinner at the Elks Lodge in Rimforest. Lowe’s reason for doing this: “I don’t want anyone to spend Christmas alone,” she has said many times.
Once again this Christmas, the Elks Lodge graciously and generously donated the use of their building for the dinner. On Dec. 24, a group of elves (aka volunteers) transformed the dining room at the lodge into an elegant restaurant. The Christmas tree was adorned with lights and ornaments. The tables were graced with linen tablecloths and napkins, courtesy of the UCLA Lake Arrowhead Lodge.
Meanwhile Richard Slusarz – whose experience is with the Hyatt – was busy in the kitchen, preparing the food that would become Christmas dinner. He and his helpers roasted turkeys, baked hams, made mashed potatoes and prepared yams and mixed vegetables.
Loyal Operation Provider volunteers packed up bags with toys for children whose families had preregistered for the dinner. Each bag was labeled with the family’s number, ready for other elves to hand out on Christmas day.
Final preparations were made early on Christmas morning. Bowls of cranberry sauce graced the tables, which were adorned with centerpieces made up of greens and small ornaments. Lowe noted they had been made years ago by Bernie Kerkvliet.
The first guests arrived right at 11 a.m. when the dinner began. They were greeted and seated by Armand LeSage, who has assumed this role for the past 13 years.
Throughout the day, until the clock struck 3 p.m., folks arrived, either as single diners or families of four or more. As each family finished their meals, volunteers cleared and reset the tables, making them ready for the next guests.
The dining room at the Elks Lodge was filled with happy conversation.
In addition to enjoying the beautifully decorated tree, the diners were treated to the musical stylings of Dale Fisher. Accompanying himself on the keyboard, the local musician sang Christmas carols, some popular songs and played some of his own compositions. He was joined by Kimberly Fry on several of the songs. And, as always, the diners sang along enthusiastically.
Every child who attended the dinner went home with gifts. Volunteer Ryan Whitty put together bags of toys for the children of families who had not signed up in advance. The diners also took home loaves of bread.
Every year Lowe expresses her appreciation for the army of volunteers who help make the dinner possible. She is especially grateful to the Elks Lodge for providing Operation Provider with the venue and to Chef Slusarz for coordinating the cooking and overseeing the kitchen.
As if providing the Christmas dinner on the mountain wasn’t enough, at the end of the day, the kitchen crew packed up boxes of meals that were distributed to the homeless down the hill. “We gave them a Christmas party,” Lowe said.
Operation Provider, located at 26525 Pine Avenue in Rimforest, distributes food to its clients on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on those days. They will be closed for a rest, reopening on Tuesday, Jan. 6. For more information, visit www.operationprovider.org.
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