Wayne Hicks, left, and Rachel Vesl help prepare Christmas dinners for delivery by Hartselle Church of Christ. | Clif Knight

More than 600 Morgan Countians enjoyed a home-cooked Christmas dinner thanks to the generosity of members of Hartselle Church of Christ.

The meal, which consisted of baked ham, cornbread dressing, broccoli and rice casserole, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, a roll and a cupcake, was cooked by 150 church families and delivered it to the church’s fellowship hall at 10 a.m.

Volunteers served the food in take-out containers and delivered it to recipients between 11 a.m. and noon.

“We started the project five years ago out of a concern for individuals who rely on Meals on Wheels for a warm meal each day,” said Joan Sneed, one of the project’s coordinators. “The organization doesn’t operate on holidays.

“Planning starts at Thanksgiving,” she added. “A flyer is printed and circulated to help us get a list of those for whom we are going to prepare a dinner. At the same time, church families are recruited to cook a dish or provide one of the items on the menu. Recipes are also provided.

“Our goal this year was to provide enough food to feed 500 people,” she pointed out. “But food kept coming in and when we were finished we had filled over 700 plates.”

Names and addresses of recipients are generated with the help of Meals on Wheels, the Committee on Church Cooperation, Committee on Aging and Hartselle and Decatur housing authorities.

“We do this to help the community,” said Jane Walker, one of the project’s coordinators. “It also creates a lot of fellowship within the church.

“Afterward, we get a number of phone calls and e-mails from family members letting us know they appreciate what we did for their loved ones.”

“This demonstrates a serving attitude on the part of our people, said minister Phillip Hines. “ It’s amazing how an outreach like this has brought our church closer together.”