Nothing can be better than helping provide a meal Christmas Day, and it was that way Monday in Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Texarkana, Texas.
The church prepared a total of 353 plates of traditional turkey and dressing with all the trimmings.
The food fed the needy, homeless and people who had no way to prepare a meal for themselves
Preparing the dressing for the annual meal were the so-called "oven men" from Foreman, Ark., who have skills in cooking the food in commercial ovens. They are Beau Strout, a chef in cowboy hat and boots, and the pony-tailed Donte Weed.
Working in the serving line is Donte's wife, Alma Weed, and Beau's wife, Gayla Strout.
The men are proud of their cooking skills and how it makes them feel.
Some of the volunteers are in awe of the oven skills. The dressing is hot and it's heavy, but they can cook and serve it like a food science.
Strout describes the work on Christmas Day as "raising the self-esteem" on both sides of the serving counter.
The length of the kitchen is filled with people serving food and helping prepare more food. Other volunteers help clean the dining tables or serve drinks.
The meal brings in young and old who need help or who volunteer.
Music is performed by anyone who wants to sing from the choir. The sounds of the music and the voices of people talking are described as "joyous."
It's not a time to be sad or quiet. During the meal inside the building, everyone seems insulated from their problems.
Alma Weed understands the need to help people . She was abandoned by her parents and was raised in foster care. Her father, James Miller, was homeless.
Weed was raised in Leary, Texas, and doesn't know a lot about her biological parents.
When her father died, all she got was a telephone call from another homeless person, who said her father had died in Houston. The exact location was unknown.
"We all need someone to love and we all need to be loved," she said.
The music was performed by the church choir and directed by pianist Beth Brine.
"The music reaches out to people and it touches them. It may be memories of good times," Brine said.
A choir member pointed out to a man listening to the music and he lowered his head and prayed," Brine said.