Free Christmas Eve lunch planned in Brighton

BRIGHTON — A group of community members are planning to host their second free meal this Christmas Eve, with lunch scheduled at Brighton City Hall on Dec. 24.

As with the group’s previous event on Thanksgiving, organizers say it’s open to all, part of an effort to bring people together who would otherwise spend the holiday alone.

The group, called Tommy’s Helping Hands, is named after Event Organizer Connie Blosser-Emry’s brother, who was born with a severe disability and had a profound love for the Christmas season.

“I came from a family that did the best they could to make Christmas the best day ever for the disabled and for the unfortunate,” she said. “That’s the motivation of our team, when we do these things. We’re putting these meals on for the less fortunate, the needy, disabled people, homeless people. We always keep that in mind.”

Blosser-Emry said the group would continue to collaborate with Hope Lutheran Church for the community meal.

“It’s hard to shoulder it by ourselves, so we appreciate every volunteer we’ve gotten,” she said. “We were so thankful to have someone say, ‘Hey, we want to partner with you, we want to help you through this,’ and they did a great job.”

The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 24 at the Brighton’s city hall building, with doors opening at 10:45 a.m. The menu includes ham, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, rolls and dessert for dine-in or takeout.

Organizers request that those interested make a reservation, by contacting 815-441-1512, or emailing ChristmasDinner2022@yahoo.com. People interested in volunteering or donating to the cause can email Connie_Blosser@yahoo.com