LEBANON — Listen Community Services will not hold its Christmas Day Dinner this year.
“We’re so busy meeting the demands in the food pantry and the dining hall,” Angela Zhang, the Lebanon-based nonprofit’s programs director, said. “Our dining hall is hitting new records every month.”
Last month, nearly 170 people attended a community dinner at Listen’s White River Junction dining hall, Zhang said. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, around 80 people attended each night; now, there are regularly around 120. Food pantry visits have also risen: Last December, there were around 500 visits to the food pantry. This year, there are nearly 1,000 monthly visits.
That increase in demand has led to some difficult decisions about allocating resources.
“It was really hard to make that choice because I know Christmas means so much to so many people, but we have to keep our current programs going,” Zhang said. “We have to meet the demands of the other 364 days.”
The decision comes as nonprofit organizations, like other employers, are struggling to find staff and meet demands. In the Upper Valley, Thanksgiving meals returned in full force this year, including the region’s largest in South Royalton and Lebanon.
Jennifer Fontaine, director of finance and food programs at the Upper Valley Haven, said the Christmas dinner will be missed.
“As another organization that is seeing increased needs for services, we fully understand the decision made to not hold the event, but also know it will be greatly missed by many in the community,” Fontaine wrote in an email. “The community meal represents the true meaning of the holiday — giving to others, taking care of, and showing love and compassion for our neighbors.”
Listen’s Christmas dinner has taken place for over 30 years. The group began leading the dinner in 2018 after taking it over from Al and Dana Michalovic. Dozens of people would sit down to eat in person at Lebanon’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church or pick up takeout. Scores of volunteers delivered meals to dozens more.
Al Michalovic said he understands why Listen chose to cancel the dinner this year.
“I am sure that Listen is, as almost all the nonprofits are, under a lot of stress at this point and I’m sure that it’s just an enormous pressure that would be on them, on their regular events, their regular stuff, meals that they’re putting on already,” he said.
The meal can take around two and a half months to plan. That includes finding food, raising money and coordinating volunteers.
“It’s a fairly large undertaking,” he said.
Last year, Christmas Day dinner was takeout and pickup only. On Christmas Day itself, around 30 meals were served due to an ice storm, Zhang said. The following day, 300 meals were delivered and another 100 were picked up.
Difficulty finding food and lack of volunteers also played a role in the decision to cancel this year’s meal.
“It’s just been much more difficult to source food than ever before,” Zhang said. The organization has stopped putting out a menu because there is so much variation when it comes to getting supplies.
Volunteer numbers also are not what they were before the pandemic, which has put more pressure on staff. As a result, the dining hall is open Monday to Friday and is no longer open on Saturdays.
“We haven’t been able to keep our dining hall volunteers full like we have in the past,” Zhang said. “We can’t do Saturdays because it’s been really hard to get the right amount of staffing.”
Zhang said that, while Listen would like to bring Christmas Dinner back if circumstances change, the structure would have to be different. Ideally, the organization would find other nonprofits to partner with to help distribute responsibilities.
“I think next year there’s quite an interesting core of people here in the Upper Valley that look to do that type of work and I’m really certain that someone will step forward and say ‘gee let’s try that again,’ ” Michalovic said.
Listen’s dining hall and food pantry will be closed from Dec. 24 to 27. Zhang is encouraging those who need food to plan ahead.
“We’re trying to stockpile meals so we can hand out extra on the 23rd to get people through the holidays,” Zhang said.
After a two-year hiatus, one Christmas dinner in Windsor is returning. The meal will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at Old South Church on Main Street.
More than 50 people attended the dinner the last time it was held in 2019m said Ruth McCabe, who organizes the meal with her family. They were looking forward to bringing it back in 2021, but the church’s oven died. This year, the oven is new and the group is ready to go.
“I’ve always said a Christmas dinner is the easiest meal to make,” McCabe said. “You peel some potatoes, you throw a turkey or ham in the oven, and you’re good.”
Typically, people attend from within a 30-mile radius of Windsor to eat together. Delivery is available to Windsor residents.
“While this is about a meal, this dinner was started because it’s about feeding the soul and being together at Christmas. No one should be alone at Christmas,” McCabe said. “It’s about the empty nester, it’s about the widow, it’s about ‘you’re new to town and you don’t know anyone.’ ”
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
