'Nobody should be alone on Christmas:' Masonic Lodge serves over 1,100 free meals
Dec. 26—MITCHELL — Over 1,100 free meals were served out of Mitchell's Masonic Lodge on Christmas Day, something event organizers say is the perfect definition of Christmas.
"It just brings home what Christmas is all about," said Troy Magnuson, a past master of the Masonic Lodge and twice-past president of the Corn Palace Shrine Club.
This year's dinner — which has traditionally been served each Christmas Day for more than two decades — called on area residents to join the Masons and the Shriners not only for a meal, but for the fellowship.
"When we started this event, oh-so-many years ago, it was with the premise that nobody should be alone on Christmas Day," Magnuson said. "It's not about the food. It's about the fellowship."
Though the Masonic Lodge had few seats to spare during the 12:30 p.m. lunch rush, the volunteers worked quickly to not only serve those who came to eat in-person, but also to deliver 273 meals to those who couldn't or preferred not to gather.
"The first couple years we didn't offer delivery, but then we realized there are people that cant get out," Magnuson said. "Even though it's supposed to be about fellowship here, it's also about people that otherwise wouldn't get a Christmas meal — It's kind of a double-edged sword."
Many of their deliveries tend to go to the elderly, who can't easily make it to the Masonic Lodge. In recent years, some people preferred not to gather in public due to COVID-19 precautions.
Magnuson said the main caveat is that the recipients promise to eat with someone else, if they can.
Despite preparing lots of food, more people showed up for a Christmas meal than event organizers expected. Just under 900 had gotten a meal in 2019, before the pandemic, so an increase of over 200 guests left the Shriners a bit short on food.
"We ran out of turkey, ran out of corn, ran out of dinner rolls. That's a good problem to have," Magnuson said with a laugh. "You'd maybe not think that when you're trying to serve a bunch of people, but when you run out of that, it's not so much a bad thing."
Any leftovers were donated to the residents of Wesley Acres, an independent senior living community in town.
Magnuson refuses to take credit for the event, pointing to the nearly 70 volunteers who worked hard to make the dinner a success.
"We couldn't do this without those volunteers. They are the lifeblood of this event. Without them it'd be lost," Magnuson said. "I'm not taking any credit. The volunteers? They deserve the credit."
The meal was free to all guests, whether they dined in, ordered for takeout or had meals delivered. Funds raised from free-will donations will be used to pay for this year's food, while surpluses will be set aside for next year's Christmas meals.
"I think it's pretty safe to say we'll be back again next year if I can con the same people into helping," Magnuson said jokingly. "(Saturday's gathering) really brought it home to me with what everyone did. It defines Christmas for me."
