It all started with Ellen Scheevel, Jo Fitzgerald, and Lois Barlow. The three friends talked about the idea of hosting a community Christmas dinner for a few years before deciding to go for it in 1998. That first year, they held it in the basement of St. Columban’s Catholic Church in Preston with an attendance of between 30 and 40 people. Over the next few years, the numbers continued to grow and by the time the ladies were ready to turn the dinner over to someone else, they had close to 100 people enjoying the Christmas dinner each year.
After outgrowing the basement of the church, the dinner was moved to the Preston Servicemen’s Club. At the time, Elizabeth Walsh Gatzke or Ib, as everyone calls her, owned and operated Chic’s Pizza right across the street from The Club. Along with other area businesses, she contributed to the dinner each year, something that was right in line with her character. “When we owned the restaurant, there would be people who couldn’t afford a meal, and she would always make sure they had food,” her daughter Gabby Kinneberg said. “We’ve always kind of made our Christmas about giving back.” Gabby explained that when she was a teenager, her family decided to nix gift giving and start donating to non-profits instead. So, when Ellen, Jo and Lois announced that 2013 would be their last year hosting the Christmas dinner, it was no surprise to many that Ib volunteered to take it on and keep it going.
Since then, four generations and multiple branches of the Walsh family have worked together on the Christmas dinner. “It’s so good for the kids to learn how to give back to their community and be involved,” Gabby said, adding that some of the kids were born after the family started doing the dinner so have never experienced a Christmas without it.
Up until 2019, the dinner had always been served as a sit-down meal with some people choosing to pick up their meals to take home. Each year, the Servicemen’s Club was fully decorated to give it a homey feeling and the volunteers would be there from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., prepping, serving, and cleaning up. The year 2020 changed the Christmas dinner completely. “Our biggest year was closer to 170 and that was the COVID year,” Gabby said. It was a tough meal as they had to transition from in-house dining to take-out only. That year, Gabby’s uncle Andy Walsh handcrafted wooden ornaments to include with each meal and later said that being able to give a gift that brought joy to many who picked up their Christmas dinners was wonderful.
That change from in-house dining to takeout meals ended up going so well that it became permanent. In addition to picking up meals, people could also request a delivery. Making the change allowed the volunteers more time to spend Christmas with their families and also reached people who may not have been able to get out and attend the dinner.
Some people have assumed that the Christmas Dinner was a soup kitchen type of meal, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. “It’s a community dinner for those who might be alone or would like a Christmas dinner,” Gabby explained. People of all ages and from all over Fillmore County have enjoyed the meal over the years. Many are regulars, but each year, new people have joined them. Gabby said that weather is often a factor in how many people they serve as travel plans can change last minute, leaving some people alone or without a Christmas dinner. Some people may have celebrated or be planning to celebrate with family on a different day, but still want a special dinner for the day of Christmas. Businesses often order meals for their employees if they are working on Christmas. Gabby was excited to announce that for the 2024 meal, the veterans home employees would have meals delivered to them as well.
A routine has developed since that first takeout-only year in 2020. “We get started by 7 a.m. on Christmas day after having a full day of prep about two days before. We serve the meal at noon and it probably takes an hour to get all the meals out the door,” Gabby said. “And then at the end of it, we (the family and volunteers) all sit down and eat a meal together. We have a lot of good memories.”
The dinner is completely funded by freewill donations. Gabby emphasized that they never care whether someone pays or not. The donations each year have always covered the cost of the dinner with the remaining funds being distributed to non-profits. 2020 was a tough year for the dinner, but it was also the year that they received the most in freewill donations as many were feeling extra generous. The last few years, the extra funds have been given to the Servicemen’s Club as a thank you for allowing the family to use its kitchen and dining area for free. “If not for them, we wouldn’t be able to do it,” Gabby said. After the 2021 tornado, the money was used to purchase more trees for the park since so many of them had been destroyed. Another year, it was used to help an anonymous family that had been selected by Fillmore Central.
Other area businesses have also helped with the dinner besides the Servicemen’s Club. Gabby noted food donations from Preston Foods, Blossom Hill, and the Sweet Stop and Sandwich Shoppe along with donations from individuals that have all helped to keep the dinner going.
Those who helped with the dinner this year were Elizabeth “Ib” Gatzke, John, Gabby and Paisley Kinneberg; Mary and Jerry Specht, Jim and Millie Specht, Andy, Maggie, Michael and Caitlyn Walsh; Steve and Brig Eickhoff, Richard and Katie Eickhoff, and Alex and Katie Mensink. Other family who have helped over the years are Connie Walsh (the leader of the family) and Kelly Rockwell. The group has be fortunate to have friends come to help deliver or serve dinner as needed, with several people offering every year!
The Walsh family announced that 2024 would be their last Christmas Dinner. “It’s been an awesome Christmas tradition for us and we did it way longer than I thought we would,” Gabby said. When they first started, Gabby wasn’t even sure she would like it as it would cut into the traditional slow Christmas morning. “But I love it,” she said, smiling. “It’s been a true family affair.” Gabby hopes that someone else will take over the dinner and keep it going. “If your community thinks its important enough, it will continue,” she said.
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