Goddard Riverside welcomed guests from the Upper West Side and beyond for a hearty dinner on Christmas Day, wrapping up another successful Holiday Meals season.
Some 250 volunteers arrived early to put tablecloths and fresh flowers on all the tables, carve the turkeys and cook up the trimmings. Others donated cookies, cakes and pies to serve at the free meal.
Hundreds of guests ate in the dining room, while 406 meals were delivered to the homes of our neighbors with mobility challenges.
Volunteers came from as far as Australia to donate their time and efforts to creating a joyous Christmas meal.
The Thanksgiving and Christmas meals are a decades-old tradition at Goddard Riverside. They give everyone in the community a warm and festive place to spend the day, and a nutritious meal to combat hunger.
At Thanksgiving, a record 1500-plus plates of food were served in the dining room and delivered to nearby homes.