Community Christmas Dinner a Smashing Success

The serving begins.

For fourteen or fifteen years, Julie Hurlburt has organized and executed a Community Christmas Dinner, held at the First Church of Christ Congregational, located at 190 Court Street.  She and her late husband, Chuck, started this tradition by combining other area Christmas dinners in order to have one truly community dinner.

While some of the volunteers thought that there were more people in attendance this year than last, others said that colder weather brings out more people.  Regardless, this year's event went off as smoothly and successfully as any other!  See for yourself in the following photo series; it was a happy time for all!

See related Middletown Insider post, here.  And Middletown Press article, here.

FIRST CHURCH of CHRIST ANNUAL COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS DINNER

Julie Hurlburt Photo by Bill Boylan

For 14 years or so, Julie Hurlburt, Deacon at the First Church of Christ Congregational*, has coordinated a Community Christmas Dinner at the church, located at 190 Court St., in Middletown.

Historic Overview  Thirty years or so ago, there were two Christmas Day dinners.  There was one Christmas dinner for the poor, served at the local soup kitchen, St. Vincent DePaul Place, and one at an area church.  About 15 years ago, when Julie and her late husband Chuck took over, there were still two dinners.  Chuck suggested that there should be just one truly community dinner for everyone.  So, working in conjunction with St. Vincent DePaul, they took over to provide one dinner for everybody.  That tradition continues, today.