OAKHURST – The community in all its glory is invited to a free Christmas dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 23 from 3 – 8 p.m. at the Oakhurst Community Center. Organizers promise food, fun, and fellowship, and are currently looking for volunteers to help provide food teams and entertainment.
This will be the sixth year for Oakhurst Outpouring, a free community feast open to everyone. Individuals and groups may attend or participate by providing food, decorations or both. Newly married Rebecca Kohout aka Rebecca Simon, 25, is again coordinating the event with her family. They’ve been working with Outpouring for four years.
Rebecca says response this year seems a little slow, and she’s hoping people are getting ready to help out.
Families, seniors and anyone who wants to spend the evening together en masse is encouraged to come out for what always shapes up to be a delicious and abundant meal. Tables are festively decorated and it’s not uncommon, say those in the know, for a certain red-suited gentleman popular throughout the season to stop by with gifts.
Dinner generally includes ham, turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, cranberries, veggies, dessert and other ingredients of fine family-style dining. The home-cooked meal is provided by an all-volunteer culinary force of nature in the form of individuals acting together for a common cause. Last year organizers fed about 300 people and are looking forward to about that many this year, as well.
Volunteers are needed for several tasks. For those who can cook, teams of six can band together to provide a full meal for 12 people, with one team captain to coordinate the other volunteers. Organizers request that food be delivered early to the Community Center on Tuesday, hot as needed, and sealed in foil containers, ready to serve.
Alternatively, those with a flair for decorating may wish to sponsor a table by decorating in theme and providing sturdy Chinet paper plates and disposable cutlery, cups and napkins. Inside the Community Center are 24 tables, each seating 16 people. Some enthusiastic table sponsors are including bagged candies or take-home treats for all 16 guests. Check with organizers for this year’s theme.
As of this writing, organizers are looking for teams to contribute food, and have tables available for sponsorship.
Those who are not part of a six-member team can contribute individually by contacting the coordinators. Anyone interested in participating in the Outpouring is encouraged to contact Rebecca Kohout-Simon at (559) 313-9570 or via email oakhurstoutpouring@gmail.com.
For upcoming information, check out the Oakhurst Outpouring page on Facebook.
