Joy of Christmas

The Salvation Army’s Christmas dinner is a bittersweet tradition.

On the one hand, more than 100 volunteers happily spent much of Christmas Day at the Dallas Salvation Army shelter, cooking, serving and cleaning up. About 1,000 people – men, women and kids of all ages and backgrounds – got a hot meal and a friendly smile.

On the other hand, the tradition exists only because there are many people for whom the Salvation Army is the best and maybe only place to get a hot meal and a friendly smile on Christmas.

Companionable strangers Francoise McCollum, Dwayne Parker and Jose Diaz shared a table for lunch.

“We don’t have any family here,” Ms. McCollum said. “So we come here to eat with this family, here.”

Mr. Parker agreed.

“I’m a sole survivor, the end of a generation,” he said. “I don’t have no money, I’m disabled, and I’m homeless.”

Yet, for the moment, he was warm and full.

The traditional Christmas menu hasn’t changed for generations. The quantities for the Dallas meal have stayed the same for several years: 120 turkeys, 400 pounds of dressing, 400 pounds of yams, 350 pounds of green beans, 1,600 rolls and 1,600 slices of pie.

A few years ago, most of the diners would have been like Mr. Parker – single men, living on the streets. These days, many more families come for dinner. The shift reflects changes in the demographics of the local needy, Salvation Army officials say.

Minerva Mondragon was there with her son and two daughters. This was their third year at a Salvation Army Christmas dinner.

“We’re here to celebrate and give thanks,” said Ms. Mondragon’s daughter Bibiana, 14. “We want to volunteer next year.”

Monday’s meal was pulled off by a hundred or so volunteers, but three times that many were turned away, said Nancy Kerley, the Dallas shelter’s volunteer coordinator. The shelter always has too many would-be volunteers for the high-profile Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.

Everyday programs attract fewer volunteers. The shelter serves 1,100 meals every day, mostly for the 400 to 500 people who live there or participate in one of the programs offered on-site. But Ms. Kerley said that some of those people who can’t get in to volunteer for the holiday meals do volunteer for the less popular times.

The Salvation Army is not just a glorified soup kitchen, it’s a Christian denomination born in London in 1865. And the “salvation” part of the name was part of this Christmas Day. Services were held in the chapel. Men handed out slips of paper with New Testament verses in Spanish and English: Luke 2:10-11 and Matthew 1:21.

But the meals come with no strings; no prayers are necessary.

The shelter, located at 5554 Harry Hines Blvd., had traditional Christmas decor. A tall tree graced the lobby. Santa statues in various sizes smiled at the kids. Wreaths and garlands were hung along railings and stairways.

The volunteers cheerfully worked the room as if it were a well-coordinated restaurant.

Stan Hare of Irving was there for the fifth year with his wife and two children. After opening presents at home Christmas morning, they come to Dallas to help feed the needy.

“It helps keep our kids grounded,” Mr. Hare said.

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