Volunteers prepare for the distribution Chirstmas Eve morning.
/ Lindsey Theis
Saturday morning, more than 100 volunteers came together to distribute free Christmas dinners.
The week before Christmas, volunteers at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort were busy preparing 550 meals for the Feed a Family program. Along with a turkey, the holiday meals are accompanied by stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, a dozen rolls, cranberry sauce and homemade pie.
"It's an awakening to get to see first hand, the need that is out there," Harrelson said.
"This is a blessing," says Charlyn Mitchell. She and her family received a meal Saturday morning. They have been living out of a hotel room for months, she tells NewsChannel 15.
"To have this food, and just be together as a family, it is such a blessing."
The all-volunteer committee raises the money to cover the costs of the holiday meals, and the Hilton crew and volunteers donate the labor to prepare the dinners.
"It costs $2,400 each year. And everything goes to food and gasoline costs," says Richard Lewis with Feed a Family.
Between those who donate time and money, Lewis says it takes 2,300 people to pull off the distribution each year.
The Feed a Family group has relied on the Hilton crew to prepare the turkey dinners for the past four years. They have been distributing dinners for six years.
