Hundreds give back on Christmas Day
JACKSON, Tenn.—Christmastime is the season of giving, and while many families spend their Christmas at home with family, others devoted their time to helping others.
For many people Christmas Day is all about family, friends, and a hot Christmas meal, and RIFA is doing just that for those in need.
You could barely move insude RIFA’s soup kitchen Christmas Day as they hosted a hot Christmas meal for those in need this holiday.
Debbie Ziegler has been coming to RIFA for almost two decades and she said she volunteers too.
“It just brings joy to your heart to see all the people here and you get to greet them and see you know the people that are unfortunate and has less than everybody and and they still have that smile and that spirit. That’s what makes the Christmas,” she said.
Many of these volunteers have been helping in the soup kitchen on Christmas Day for years, and say they get more out of it than those they serve.
“I can’t explain it, it’s just too great to explain how it feels to me how this is the only meal, warm meal, that they get today. and so you just give back it just feels glorious,” one volunteer said.
The Jackson Chapter of Jack and Jill served Christmas morning and brought some Christmas gifts to go along with Christmas dinner.
“We have prepared bags of with personal hygiene items gives deodorant and different things for the people that would come out this morning,” Cynthia Early said.
Zieler said she loves coming to Christmas dinner at RIFA because this is where she feels most at home.
“My whole family has passed away so this is my family I mean we all joke in here we sing all the time even when it’s not the holidays it’s like a holiday in here all the time,” she said.
RIFA says they saw more than 100 volunteers and served around 75 people.
