CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Saint John, St. Peter serve annual Christmas Day Ham Dinner

Canton Repository - 12/25/2021

CANTON - Paula Molyneux didn't attend last year's Christmas Day Ham Dinner provided by Basilica of Saint John the Baptist and St. Peter Church because of concerns about COVID.

This year, though, she received her vaccination shots and was wearing a mask so she felt it was safe enough to go to Saint John at 627 McKinley Ave. NW late Christmas morning. There, she picked up her free dinner, which included ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green beans and dessert.

"I still feel nervous about it," she said about the pandemic.

More: Church volunteers give out Christmas meals to go

More: Several Stark County area restaurants will be open on Christmas Day

Molyneux, who said she's living off of disability assistance, said she gets only $28 a month in federal supplementary nutrition assistance. So she relies on church pantry and food bank programs to survive.

"It feels great. It's a blessing. These people are wonderful," she said.

For the second straight year, the ham Christmas Day dinner was carryout only. Prior to the pandemic, attendees ate together on tables in the church. Last year and Saturday, much of the hall was empty. People lined up outside to pick up groceries like peanut butter and chips from volunteers lined along an area marked by retractable belts in stanchions.

Volunteers put together the meal in carryout containers and another volunteer handed them to the people walking through. After walking by a table where donated gloves were offered, the people then immediately exited through the side door and up the steps into the parking lot.

Everyone there to get food was required to wear a mask. Security officer Melvin Copeland distributed surgical masks to the people in the line who needed one.

The first guests at the church were admitted around 11:16 a.m.. after the organizers ensured they had finished putting together about 250 takeout meals to be delivered by volunteers to seniors and others unable to get to the church. By 11:30 a.m., about 28 people were waiting in line outside as it rained.

Ed Carrico, 62, of Canton was among them.

"It's amazing what they do," he said, adding that this was the fourth time he had attended the meal. He said he didn't mind it was the second year in a row the meal was carryout only.

"That's fine. I'd rather it be that way. I don't want to be around people who might have COVID," he said.

Jacklyn Kirikbribe, 44, of Canton, who also waited for food, said the free Christmas meal and other meals distributed by local churches were absolutely needed at a time when food prices are rising due to the effects of the pandemic.

"Thank God, I've got food in my stomach," she said, adding that she doesn't have her own home and ekes out a living doing odd cleaning jobs. She couch surfs from home to home of her relatives.

Iseral Adams, 43, of Canton, said due to an injury to his hand in October, he hasn't been able to work as a cook. He also said he's a former gang member who leads a nonprofit called Fame Game Entertainment seeking to help troubled youths avoid a gang lifestyle.

He's attended the Christmas meal for several years.

"I think it's a great service," Adams said as he held an umbrella to ward off the rain. "It helps us just survive because it's so hard out here."

Inside, longtime volunteers Rachel Porter, 19, of Canton Township and her aunt Karen Metzger of East Canton were wrapping doughnuts, cookies and a slice of cake in aluminum foil to hand the guests.

Porter was home for holiday break from Ohio State University where she's a freshman. She's volunteered for the meal since she was in middle school.

"I'm just happy to help," Porter said. "My mom is a nurse. And she works a lot. I feel this is a good way to spend more time with my aunt."

Metzger also enjoys the experience.

"I like coming out here," she said. "It's a good group. We have fun."

She said she hopes in the future, they can return to the sitdown dinner they once had.

One of the event's co-chairman Mark Voyk said they hoped the group of about 45 volunteers would distribute about 700 meals.

Co-chairman Keith Herrington, called by Voyk "the gravy master," had been overseeing volunteers preparing for the meal since Monday.

Reach Robert at 330-580-8327 or robert.wang@cantonrep.com. Twitter: @rwangREP

©2021 www.cantonrep.com. Visit cantonrep.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.