In recent years of the Jackson County Christmas Day Feast, Shawn Malone has noticed a trend of more families volunteering.
They feel called to help deliver holiday meals to others before they go home and celebrate their own Christmas.
He said that’s pretty special, considering it was mainly a group of young adults helping when he and his wife, Jennifer, and Brian “Bubba” and Jessica D’Arco started the program six years ago.
“Families are teaching and learning through this. They are showing their kids,” Malone said. “They actually come in, they are giving, they are volunteering, they are showing Christmas cheer and then they are going to go home and do their stuff. They are really putting people before themselves, which is amazing.”
This year, he expects that trend to continue because all year long, people have reached out saying they are looking forward to helping out.
“That has been a beautiful thing for the Malones and the D’Arcos to see, as well, because we started just wanting to do something to give,” Malone said. “Now, we’re inspiring people, we’re inspiring families and those families in turn are inspiring us to come back and do this every year.”
The free meals are for anyone and will be delivered between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Dec. 25 to any community in Jackson and Jennings counties.
Each meal consists of ham or turkey, mashed potatoes, corn or green beans, a roll, a dessert and a bottled water.
Malone encourages people to dial 211 before Dec. 21 to set up delivery. After dialing 211, there is a prompt if you’re calling for a meal, and the operator takes down your information, including the number of meals you need and your address. The operator also will ask if they can the person with any other services.
“We really want people to feel really comfortable with 211,” Malone said. “211 is a United Way service they started letting us use about three years ago, and it has been very, very helpful. It’s a simple phone call. It’s really easy.”
After Dec. 21, people can call The Brooklyn Pizza Co. at 812-524-8888 or Bubba’s Place at 812-522-2818 to set up delivery.
There will be two places for volunteers to gather Dec. 25 to help deliver meals. For Seymour, Crothersville and Jennings County, that will be at The Pines in Seymour. For Brownstown and communities in the western portion of Jackson County, that will be at Brownstown Central High School.
Malone said Mike and Katie Hall with The Pines have volunteered to cook the food the past two years, but this is the first time the operation will be based at The Pines.
The meals initially were prepared at The Brooklyn Pizza Co., but it has grown from 350 meals served the first year to more than 1,000 in 2017, so a larger space was needed, Malone said.
People also can stop by The Pines between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Dec. 25 for carryout meals.
“We overcook by about 150, 200 meals every year just to have extra,” Malone said. “Then when we’re done, we try to feed the volunteers, and then we go and we take meals to the firehouse, the police station, the EMT station. Then any surplus that we have, we take to The Alley and Community Provisions.”
Scott Jackson with TJ’s BBQ will cook the food for the western part of the county and oversee the delivery operation at Brownstown Central High School.
“He’s a good guy, as well, so he reached out last year and said, ‘Can I be helpful?’ and I said, ‘Absolutely,’” Malone said. “He has kind of taken some of that off our hands.”
While the businesses don’t financially benefit from the program, it does cost money to buy all of the food, so Malone is seeking monetary donations from corporate sponsors. To contribute, call him at 812-216-3484.
“With this growing every year, we could always use a little bit more money,” he said. “We’re averaging around $2.75 per meal, so for 100 meals, it would be $275.”
Malone expects to serve more than 1,200 meals this year, and 100-plus volunteers will help with the effort.
“When you’re moved by something — and I see it every year — you touch people’s lives and hearts one time and they give back,” he said. “Once they truly feel what that Christmas spirit is and what the joy of giving is, it’s infectious, and you can’t stop it, so it’s pretty cool.”
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What: Jackson County Christmas Day Feast
When: Dec. 25
Where: Delivery to Seymour, Crothersville and Jennings County and carryout meals will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Pines in Seymour, and delivery to Brownstown and other communities in western Jackson County will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brownstown Central High School)
Who: Meals are free for anyone; program organized by Shawn and Jennifer Malone and Brian "Bubba" and Jessica D’Arco
For delivery: Call 211 before Dec. 21, and an operator will take down your address and the number of meals you need; after Dec. 21, call The Brooklyn Pizza Co. at 812-524-8888 or Bubba’s Place at 812-522-2818
How to help: Corporate sponsors may contribute monetary donations to help with buying the food by calling Malone at 812-216-3484
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