God’s Bread Basket hosting free Christmas Day dinner

On Christmas Day, many Tecumseh residents will be celebrating the holidays with their family. Others, however, will be serving up a healthy turkey dinner to those in need. God’s Bread Basket, a local non-profit group, will be offering a free Christmas dinner on December 25 from noon to 2 p.m. at Tecumseh Church of Christ at 312 W. Chicago Blvd., to anyone in Tecumseh who is looking for a hot meal or some company.

Michelle Gonzales, kitchen coordinator for God’s Bread Basket, says the non-profit is serving dinner on Christmas day to reduce some of the stress of the holidays. “A lot of people can’t afford a Christmas dinner, a tree and presents. They can’t afford to do it all, so they have to sacrifice somewhere,” Gonzales said. “We want to alleviate one of those things so they don’t have to go hungry for the holidays. We do have those elderly alone on Christmas as well, so we want them to come share their holiday with another family.”

Along with offering a holiday dinner, God’s Bread Basket also has Santa Claus visit with children a week before Christmas. Gonzales says God’s Bread Basket is open to all, regardless of income. “We serve anyone,” Gonzales said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re struggling, laid off or just need some company. We have no restrictions whatsoever. We even get teens whose parents are working a night shift and are looking for a hot meal. We’ve served over sixty thousand meals since 2009 and there’s still a need.”

The idea for God’s Bread Basket was generated by Roland VonKaler of Tecumseh Rotary, who had the concept of serving dinner to help lift the financial burden of supplying meals to struggling families. VonKaler requested that there were no restrictions on who could come have a meal. God’s Bread Basket is run entirely by volunteers, and all donations go directly into the program.

Gonzales said the number of people God’s Bread Basket feeds goes up during the holiday season, but no matter what time of year, there is always a demand. “We serve anywhere from forty to eighty guests an evening, Tuesday through Friday from six to seven p.m.,” Gonzales said. “We’re financially supported by donations, and staffed through community volunteers such as Boy and Girl Scouts, Girls on the Run, members of the Tecumseh Church of Christ and other groups. United Way has funded us, and we receive food donations through Jerry’s Market and Busch’s in Tecumseh. People drop off paper plates and napkins as well as food donations, and it really helps as it reduces some of our cost.”

Giving of time and skills is a fulfilling experience at God’s Bread Basket, Gonzales said, and they’re always looking for extra help. “I really, really love helping and serving people who come in, and I love working with people who have the same goals and passion to just serve,” Gonzales said. “It’s so rewarding to get that smile or thank you for a meal. A true blessing.”

Volunteers who wish to work in the kitchen must have a food handler’s card and take a class at the Lenawee Human Services Building. Volunteers who wish to serve food directly do not need a card and can call Gonzales at 423.6977. Food donations are also handled through Gonzales. Monetary donations can be given by calling 442.5464. “Without us, Tecumseh would be hungry,” Gonzales said. “Some needs in the community would not be taken care of, and unfortunately, those needs would go overlooked if we were not here.”