Community Christmas dinner still on calendar

While the annual Christmas Day dinner has dwindled in the past, this year’s coordinator is determined to continue it.
“In my viewpoint, the event is dying,” dinner coordinator Kent Griffen said.
“But this is an important event for the community,” Griffen said.
Griffen is the pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Imperial, and volunteered to chair the event this year.
The past few years have been hard to organize, he said.
“I think the way to save it on such short notice is to turn it into a potluck,” he added.
Griffen is putting an appeal to the community to help.
“Even if you’re with your family on Christmas Day and you can’t actually stay and eat, please help,” he said.
“I really want to try to make this happen on short notice.”
In the past, the dinner has been held at the Eagles.
After meeting this week, the ministerial committee decided to host the dinner at the St. Patrick Parish Hall.
The meal will start at 11 a.m. on Christmas Day.