Members of the Southern Church in New Britain were busy preparing a delicious meal for their community.

“I make potatoes and mix mashed potatoes,” said Kenneth Drake, who has volunteered at this event for six or seven years.

The church has been feeding families on Christmas Day since 1971.

“Yams, green beans, ham and grape sauce. Don’t forget the grape sauce,” Drake said, listing all the items on this year’s holiday menu.

On Wednesday, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., the South Church was transformed into a dining room, where hundreds of people came to fill their plates and enjoy a hot meal together.

What makes it all possible – the preparation, the cooking, the cleaning – are the volunteers, their generosity and their big hearts.

“I thank God that I can do this. To volunteer. We all need help, and it takes a village to help them,” Drake said.

Volunteers spent a lot of time making this dinner warm and festive with red and green tablecloths, fine china and silverware. They didn’t just feed those who came through the doors.

“Usually we’re the ones who help prepare meals and get them to families who maybe don’t have transportation to get here or are homebound,” said Krystal Tenner, of Nova Scotia. Brittany.

Organizers say more than 100 meals have been delivered to homes this year. It’s something Tenner has done since she was a teenager and now with her husband and three children.

“It’s the first thing we do on Christmas morning, before we even open our presents,” Tenner said.

Her daughter says she loves being part of it.

“It’s not about giving gifts, it’s about giving them, and I love seeing people’s faces when they light up,” said Tenner’s daughter Alice-Marie.

It’s a tradition for over 50 years, thanks to people celebrating Christmas by giving back to others.