10th annual Christmas Friendship Dinner in planning stages

MAT-SU -- Christmas can be a day filled with a feeling of loneliness for some people who may not have family or friends with whom to share the holiday.

Because of that, a group of volunteers have been hosting the Christmas Friendship Dinner for nine years, and are busy preparing for the 10th dinner.

The dinner has been traditionally served at the Wasilla Senior Center, and has been open to anybody who wants to show up to enjoy dinner with others, regardless of age.

This year, there is one significant change, however.

Because of the incredible support and endless work of the volunteers, the event has outgrown the senior center.

This year, the Christmas Friendship Dinner will be held at Wasilla High School, so that many more people can be accommodated.

"It has gotten bigger and bigger every year, and we don't want to turn anybody away," said Elsie O'Bryan, one of the event organizers. "If people need a meal or want to share Christmas dinner with others, we have a place for them to go."

The dinner has always been, and always will be, free for anybody who wants to attend, O'Bryan said. And this year, because of the switch in locations, transportation will be provided for people.

"MASCOT has agreed to run one of their buses from the Wasilla Senior Center to the high school so the seniors can get there, and the Palmer Senior Center may be bringing one of their vans over for the dinner," O'Bryan said.

"The seniors were used to just walking over to dinner, so it is nice we can still get them there," O'Bryan added.

The planning committee has already started weekly planning sessions for the event.

Every Tuesday at 7 p.m., the group meets at Country Kitchen in Wasilla to help organize the dinner.

Volunteers are starting to solicit local businesses for donations for the dinner, and individual donations are welcomed as well.

O'Bryan said that if somebody wants to make a tax-deductible donation, they can make their check payable to the Mid-Valley Seniors and mail it to P.O. Box 940168, Houston, AK 99694.

If people aren't worried about it being tax-deductible, they can make checks payable to the Christmas Friendship Dinner and drop them off at the Country Kitchen.

The event isn't sponsored by any single community group or organization. A number of individuals join together each year, just to help spread the Christmas joy and spirit to those who want to attend the dinner.

"We get together for this every year, and it has been successful every time," O'Bryan said. "I think the volunteers enjoy it, and the people who come for dinner always say they enjoy it, too."

For more information about volunteering for the event, or for general information about the dinner, interested people may contact O'Bryan at 892-6114.