Christmas Day, December 25th, the Rotary Club of Lehigh Acres will be hosting a free Christmas dinner in Lehigh Acres. Fred Elliott, coordinator of the project, says, “This is the 18th year in a row that the Rotary Club has hosted this event.” The annual Christmas dinner will begin at 11:00 am and continue until 1:00 pm at Saint Raphael Catholic Church, located at 2514 Lee Blvd in Lehigh Acres across from Walmart.
Every year, hundreds of people come out to enjoy Christmas Dinner, Elliott said. The dinner on Christmas Day is again FREE like all other dinners the Rotary Club and its volunteers have prepared over the years. Elliott said that at Christmas they plan to provide a traditional ham dinner, including all the sides and dessert. “We are going to have enough food; we always do,” Elliott said. Volunteers are an important part of making all of this possible, Elliott said. “For that reason, we would ask volunteers to come to the parish hall at around 10 am if they can. Getting there a little earlier will really help us all out a lot,” he said. The Rotary Club of Lehigh Acres has 25 active members, and Elliott said all of them participate in some way to make the holiday dinners special. “We have a great group of Rotarians, and they are interested in our community. That is why we have gone so long, and we plan to keep it up,” he said.
Elliott wants to remind everyone the dinner is “absolutely FREE and everyone is welcome.” They put special emphasis on inviting people who live alone or people who have no relatives here. “We want them to enjoy their Christmas dinner with us,” Elliott said. Each year, the number of people who come to the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners is increasing, and Elliott noted that many families come with family members and friends, and it has become a holiday tradition to be together. “We also want to thank Saint Raphael Catholic Church for allowing us to use the kitchen and hall. They always have several volunteers who are eager to lend a helping hand. “It’s a great day to celebrate Christmas,” Elliott said.
The Rotary Club of Lehigh Acres mission is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.
