City Soup Kitchen Set To Serve Christmas Dinner To Go

Saint John’s soup kitchen was quick to pivot in order to keep feeding people after the pandemic made in person dining no go.

By year’s end, Romero House will have served 110,000 meals out of its makeshift takeout window on Brunswick Drive.

Executive Director Evelyn McNulty says they will keep serving food over the holiday season with chili on the menu for Christmas Eve on Thursday and turkey dinner for Christmas Day.

“For Christmas dinner, we are having turkey, squash, carrots, corn, gravy, stuffing, pickles, cranberries and pie for dessert and little cupcakes a group made for us,” McNulty said.

McNulty said they have decorated the window for Christmas.

“The tree and the fireplace and the Santa chair are facing out instead of facing into the room so that’s nice. It makes us feel good,” McNulty said.

700 Christmas bags were handed out this week with a hat, socks, toiletries and treats and gift cards.

McNulty started them 25 years ago for the single adults or kids over the age of 12.

“The folks who were coming here for [ something to] to eat and to find some respite, a lot of them were on their own and there was nothing for Christmas that was geared specifically to them,” McNulty said.

McNulty thinks the pandemic has been really difficult for a lot of different people and in ways people don’t really think of.

She hopes the community spirit that has grown this year continues to be present when its over.

McNulty said she is “really tired” but, calls her works a labour of love adding all the good and the bad she witnessed over twenty-five years at Romero House prepared her for everything that happened this year.