PANAMA CITY — More than 250 of the Panama City’s neediest came out for a hearty holiday meal while a battery of volunteers served it to them on Christmas Eve at the Panama City Rescue Mission.
Gerard Smith, 57, with his long auburn beard was among the homeless digging into the hot food. The meal included turkey, ham, mash potatoes, stuffing and gravy.
Smith said it was like a home-cooked meal, like the Christmas dinners of his youth.
“All of it was good,” Smith said.
Smith said he grew up in Panama City — the Millville area — and now receives disability, but that’s not enough to cover his housing. He became homeless in 2005 and relies on the Rescue Mission, which he said offers him a “helping hand now and then.”
“Sometimes it’s the only thing a man can find (when) you’re out there living in the bushes,” he said.
He said he has no family and appreciated the resource. He was thrilled to have some hot food, though he thought the ham more appropriate for Christmas than turkey.
“But, hey, I’ll eat whatever; otherwise … I have nothing to eat,” he said.
Likewise, Jeffrey Ard, 42, was pleased with the feast. With relish, he tore into his full plate and said it was good to have a hot meal.
“(It’s) very nice,” he said.
Mission Director Thurman Chambers has been working with rescue missions for years, overseeing these Christmas dinners, but each one is special.
“It’s really more exciting every year,” he said.
Chambers was happy to brighten the homeless’ holiday season, but also said the volunteers get “quite a blessing” by helping out. He estimated there were 40 volunteers — many of whom were kids — serving the diners, scooping up mash potatoes and handing out drinks.
“It’s kind of a special day,” he said.
There were about 70 volunteers for Thanksgiving, but it’s typical to have more volunteers for the November holiday, Chambers said.
“Volunteers are involved in all phases of our ministry,” he said.
Scott Roberts, 42, of Panama City, was one of the volunteers and said serving the homeless gave him a chance to be the “hands and feet of Christ.”
He and his family also helped out with the Thanksgiving meal and really enjoyed it. On Tuesday, he was back with his wife and two kids, as well as his mother and father in law.
“We couldn’t find a better way to be satisfied and filled up than to serve some other people,” Roberts said, adding, “We love doing it.”
Another benefit from the meal is that it offers the opportunity for the homeless to join the Rescue Mission’s live-in program, which helps get them back on their feet.
“It just gives them a new direction,” Chambers said.
It’s also important, Chambers said, for the community to understand the shelter exists throughout the whole year, not just the holidays. Volunteers are good about helping out throughout the year, but donations are also important. The last 90 days of the year is the big time for donations, Chambers said.
“What we try to do is get (donors) set up through a pledge, get them more into a monthly donor,” he said. “That’s the key to it.”