At least two local churches are spreading Christmas cheer through free meals.

Union Baptist Church on Liberty Street and the Mulberry Baptist Church in Maplesville are serving Christmas meals to the community.

The meal at Union Baptist will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. Event organizer Francine Lewis said all are welcome.

“We just want to give back,” she said. “We feel like Christmas is a time of giving.
“Whoever wants a meal can come; we’ve invited the policemen, firemen.”

Lewis said many church members are donating food.

Those that would like a meal but are homebound can call Lewis at 755-9955 or the church at 755-3910, and food will be delivered.

The church’s youth group brought up the idea of a free community meal for Thanksgiving but didn’t have enough time before the holiday and decided to wait until Christmas.

Meanwhile, more than 200 people placed orders for Mulberry Baptist Church’s meal from noon to 1 p.m. on Christmas Day. Add in the meals that will be enjoyed at the church, and it becomes obvious the event is community wide.

Mulberry Baptist has been serving its Christmas meal for about 10 years, Pastor Mitch Thrower said.

“The idea is to make sure nobody goes without food on Christmas Day,” Thrower said. “With the way the economy is, people are looking for help.”

Thrower said about 50 people—both church members and others in the community—will help with the meal in some capacity.

“It’s a community service,” he said.