First United Methodist served up lunch at 12th annual Community Christmas Eve Lunch

Today, First United Methodist Church in Long Beach served up lunch to those in the community.

Community members enjoyed ham, turkey, salad, mac and cheese, and countless other dishes.

Last year due to COVID-19, the church had to take safety precautions, limiting the amount of people who could help volunteers and serve, but this year things were back to normal.

Guests could eat in or get a plate to go. Enough food was prepared to serve up to 500 people. Coordinator Amanda Wood said, “We started just as an outreach, knowing that Christmas Eve wasn’t exactly a day that people really did anything. It was kind of like our opening. We were able to have people and welcome them in and it just has continued to grow year after year. So, we are going to keep doing it.”

Members of the church, Island View Casino, Savory Roots, and other local restaurants assisted in preparing food and donating towards the lunch.