Volunteers at the heart of Christmas dinner tradition

Santa and his elves at a previous Westchester Christmas Dinner. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS 

By HERB FOSTER

Santa needs plenty of help this year. Not just from one person but hundreds of volunteers.

What these people will be doing is filling multiple roles for the annual Westchester Christmas Dinner, a community event that brings many together for a joyful holiday celebration.

For 32 years, the dinner has provided warm clothing, thoughtful gifts and entertainment for more than 300 people on Christmas Day.  

It is sponsored and run entirely by community members, with all aspects of the day provided free of charge to guests through the generosity of participating restaurants, merchants and many volunteers. The attendee list is provided by the Community Center of Northern Westchester, with a majority of the families coming from Mount Kisco, Katonah, Bedford, and other nearby towns.

It had been organized since 2010 by Ben Harvey of Bedford, and last year the dinner’s leadership was transitioned to Gordon MacGill, also of Bedford.

“Some of the attendees might be separated from their extended families and with the rising cost of food and housing, there is likely little money for gifts or a special meal,” said Amanda Godsoe, the Community Center’s educational advancement coordinator. “Some senior citizens might have no other visitors on Christmas and this wonderful group ensures that their day is a special one. They are able to come together and celebrate in the true spirit of Christmas with delicious food and community.”

When the guests arrive at the St. Mary’s School gymnasium in Katonah  (many on a donated bus service), they are welcomed by volunteer “elves” and taken to their table. Elves go around asking for a Christmas gift wish list while Mrs. Claus entertains everyone as master of ceremonies. There is a wide range of activities for children, including a photo booth, crafts table, games, and live entertainment in the form of seasonal characters and dance music. Then, the highlight of the day is when Santa arrives and presents are distributed.

The meal is traditional holiday fare: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and of course, pie and ice cream is among the desserts offered. All the food is prepared by local restaurants and food markets, such as DeCicco, ShopRite, and Village Social. Gavin McLaughlin of Pound Ridge, owner of a successful events and catering company, oversees all the food and beverage prep and delivery. Clothing and toys are supplied by a large team of volunteer shoppers and supplemented by Hickory & Tweed in Armonk. Gifts are tailored to the attendees. The community center provides information on each family, including age, gender, and interests, and shoppers buy presents based on that information.

“It’s so wonderful to see so many people from all different walks of life in our area come together to help our neighbors have the most deserving, wonderful, spirited Christmas that they can have,” said Heather Trotta, who manages the volunteers. “Any role you have as a volunteer touches your heart. You are changed and you want to come back again and again.” 

And many do.

MacGill said the dinner has a high percentage of returning volunteers.

“For several, it’s part of a family tradition; people have been doing this for many years,” MacGill said. “We have some volunteers who stick to their favorite job, whether it’s doing gift organization or security or the buffet. Some take real ownership and they come back year after year. Others like to try their hand at something new. We need them all, and then some.”

It takes about 400 people to make the dinner a success. Many work in advance, buying presents, doing decorations, picking up food, setting the room. Another group works during the event on Christmas Day, serving food, being a happy elf and more. The final group helps clean up and reset the gymnasium.

“I think that the volunteers get just as much, if not more, out of the entire experience than those that we are serving,” Trotta said of the volunteer experience. “It’s really wonderful to be able to celebrate Christmas with our neighbors.”

“Each year, I am amazed at how many people in our community are willing and excited to volunteer their time on Christmas day to help with the dinner in any way they are needed,” said Harvey, who ran the Christmas Dinner for 12 years. 

“The glamorous roles are standing at the serving line dishing out a delicious holiday meal to our less fortunate neighbors. But to me, the real heroes are the crew from John Jay High School that volunteers to clean up the gymnasium after our guests have left,” he said. “The family from South Salem who volunteers to work in a back room sorting clothing gift bags on Christmas morning. The husband and wife from Bedford who empty our trash bins and sweep Christmas tree pine needles off the floor while they could be home eating their holiday turkey. These are people with hearts of gold and they, to me, are what the Christmas spirit is all about here in the Katonah area.”

To volunteer, visit westchesterchristmas.org, and click on the volunteer button. Duties include being elves, gift shopping, entertainment, food prep/service, babysitting, setup/cleanup and photography.