Christmas is only days away, which means the time has come for the 12th annual Perry Community Christmas Dinner.

The dinner is held every year on Christmas Day at the Elks Lodge in Perry, and is completely free to anyone who would like to attend. Deb Miller, co-founder and member of the Community Christmas Dinner Committee, says the meal will feature a wide range of food, including pork loin, turkey, and ham, all cooked and supplied through volunteers and donations. She says the idea for the meal started when she and several others in the Perry community went to the Hope Mission in Des Moines every year to volunteer. She thought there was enough of a volunteer presence in Perry, as well as a need, to have a dinner of their own. Miller says in their first year they fed 300 people, much more than they expected.

The meal has grown every year since then, as has the support. Miller believes the dinner truly shows how much the residents care about Perry. “We really pull together as a community and make this an event. I think now, that maybe after 12 years, we can maybe call it a tradition! So I think everybody kind of puts in where they can put in for it. We all want to feel like we can give. And this is a part of giving to our community, so I think that’s what’s really nice.”

The dinner will begin at 11 a.m. on Christmas Day, and will start wrapping up at around 1:30 p.m. Miller emphasizes it’s an all-inclusive meal and everyone from all walks of life and from any surrounding community is welcome. For more information, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.