For the 21st year, local volunteers with the American Red Cross spent their Christmas day serving Christmas dinners to the less fortunate.

If you thought preparing your Christmas dinner was time consuming, think about these volunteers, who spent months planning and preparing for a Christmas dinner that meant as much to them as it does to those they're helping.

The Christmas spirit blew through the St. John's Greek Orthodox Church in Myrtle Beach.

"Merry, merry Christmas.. Merry, merry Christmas," some volunteers sang as they served dinner to the many needy people waiting in long lines at the Myrtle Beach church.

The Red Cross and volunteers spent Christmas day giving food and their time, serving thousands of meals to thousands of hungry people.

Kathy Cardona-Andrade was one of those volunteers.

"If we don't step up and help these people, then we're letting children go hungry, we're letting seniors go hungry, we're letting a lot of our community go hungry. So, we need charitable donations, we really need things that are going help these people out," said Cardona-Andrade.

"A lot of good people, they're all good people, some are just down on their luck," said another volunteer.

But its not all about the homeless, it's also about providing companionship.

"They have loved ones they can't see because of divorce situations, or real life situations, or their job is here and they're lonely and they're sad and they come here looking for companionship. These events give them that companionship and these kind of functions help people through the hard times of Christmas," added Cardona-Andrade.

Angela Nicholas, with the Coastal Chapter of the American Red Cross, sees the far-reaching impact of their Christmas event.

"I think one of the best things is that the other agencies that typically feed those individuals that need help, they can close down today and be with their families, and the the red cross steps in and provides that meal," said Nicholas.

And the needy people who showed up seemed to not only leave with a full stomach, but an enthused spirit.

"This is something very good," you could hear one person say as they waited in line for a meal.

"Its the true spirit of Christmas, the ability to give back to the community," Nicholas said.

The Red Cross is always looking for volunteers to help. To learn how you can help, visit www.ccc-arc.org