COVINGTON, Ky. — Hundreds of people received a warm Christmas meal in Covington Monday as part of the 36th annual Northern Kentucky Christmas Day Dinner.
Guests also received bags of personal care items and groceries. Kids were able to pick out toys, as well as bikes on a first-come-first-served basis.
“Every year, (the) more you need it,” said Tom Hall, who has spearheaded the event with the Sunday Morning Club for decades.
Hall said he was hoping to serve up to 1,000 people with the help of up to 500 volunteers.
“It's just the thought of giving back,” he said. “It’s the same volunteers a lot every year.”
Shelisa Frost came to volunteer with her whole family. It’s tradition.
“Everybody's always just one paycheck away from any of these situations,” she said. “So we keep it in front of us.”
For some, the greatest gift of all is the sense of community they took away from the event.
“I'm homeless and it's good to be around people when there's people, such as myself, that have very few friends or family that you’re connected with,” said Ronnie Gross.
Gross sat next to Darrell King during the meal. The two walked in as strangers and left as friends.
“I have a home. I've been homeless,” King said. “I come here to remind myself that I'm no better than nobody else still here.”
King has come to this event several times before.
“There was a time I had nobody,” he said. “But these people were here for me and I knew I could come and get something to eat and get some love.”
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