By Allison Wichie
Dayton Daily News
More than 600 people who might not have had a hot meal or a person to wish them a “Merry Christmas” received a special gift from volunteers with the German Twp. Fire Department.
The firehouse started preparing and delivering hot Christmas meals to those need in 2009. That first year they delivered 30 meals — this Christmas they delivered more than 20 times that number.
“I can’t say how grateful we are to the community because they’ve just been great —it’s just way beyond what we expected,” said Fire Chief Tim Holman about the donations and volunteers to program saw this year.
Holman’s late wife, Rebecka, never liked to see people alone on the holiday, he said, so she masterminded the idea that the firehouse deliver meals to shut ins or anyone in need on Christmas Day.
“That’s what Christmas is all about,” the chief said. “Helping other people who are less fortunate than we are.”
Dozens of volunteers came to the German Township firehouse early Christmas morning to prepare food, package the meals and deliver them to people across the county.
Many local businesses also stepped up to help make the tradition possible, Holman said. Cake Creations bakery in New Carlisle baked more than 500 fresh cookies for the meal. Fink Meat Company in Springfield donated ham, Gordon Food Service helped provide food and Texas Roadhouse supplied fresh buns.
Firefighters delivered some of the people to people in the engine. As the fire truck pulled up to the Executive Inn, 325 W. Columbia St., in Springfield with 20 hot meals ready to give to families staying there, manager Avtar Singh said the volunteers were a gift themselves.
“That’s a blessing from God,” Singh said. “Today’s Christmas day and these meals will bring happiness to the families.”
Some volunteers also delivered bags of groceries along with the hot me to families in need or people who are home bound.
Holman said he’s always believed firefighters and EMS personnel’s duty to help goes beyond the day to day work in ambulances and firetrucks.
“It’s a very little thing that we’re doing, but it means a lot to them and that means a lot to us,” he said.
He’s happy the volunteers and firefighters at the German Twp. Fire Department continue to carry on and grow the kindness that his late wife envisioned, Holman said.
“She’d be thrilled to see the outcome,” he said.
(c)2015 the Dayton Daily News