‘Almost Like Home’ gives first responders a Christmas Day meal
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The holidays are a special time to spend with friends and family, but it’s important to remember those on the front lines who are serving the community during the holidays.
That’s why one local group is making sure some essential workers in Starkville don’t miss out on a Christmas Meal.
The “Almost Like Home” project provides first responders with a meal and the community with a chance to serve.
The funding and food all comes from the local community, and they want to make it as easy as possible for everyone involved.
Laura Dunn has been busy, making phone calls and gathering donations to help feed first responders on Christmas Day through the “Almost Like Home” project.
Dunn said this all started because they realized there was a need.
“Another individual, Lisa McReynolds, in our community is the one that when she had when her daughters were very young, they realized there was a need because these little girls said, ‘hey, they’re firefighters, I have to work on Christmas Day, can we make something for them?’ And what started off as an initial gift to a single fire station,” Dunn said. “Over the past 12 years has morphed into something much larger.”
Now, it has turned into a grassroots effort.
Through community help, they now provide Christmas meals to all 5 fire departments in Starkville, Starkville Police Department, MSU Police, Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office, 911 dispatchers, OCH Regional Medical Center, and the Oktibbeha County Humane Society.
“If you’re for our first responders, you’re the backbone of our community,” Dunn said. “If something happens on Christmas Day, you know, someone’s cooking a ham and all of a sudden they catch a dish towel on fire and they have a problem in the house, or kids are playing outside with their cousins and somebody falls down and breaks an arm. You know, people call the fire department. You know, people will call the police department. They’ll go to the hospital. Those services are there to support us. So why wouldn’t we be there to support them?”
Dunn said hundreds come together in Starkville to make this happen.
Citizens, churches, and businesses donate food, utensils, and their time to give back to those who protect and serve the community.
Dunn said around 150 people will benefit from these meals. They want to further the project to make it better every year and reach even more people.
“This is an easy way to give back and show our gratitude shown,” Dunn said. “And if you can’t do that on Christmas, when can you do that? You know, I wish that we could show our gratitude in more ways than just this time of year. But if these times of year are what spark these kinds of ways to give. I mean, It’s just it’s a wonderful way to just feel connected to your community and make sure that they know that you care.”
If you’d like to get involved, you can find “Almost Like Home Christmas Dinner” on Facebook and send them a message.
Dunn said they have ways to get involved that don’t take much time at all, and if you know anyone working on Christmas that could benefit, let them know.
