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North Adams American Legion Feeding the Hungry This Christmas
By Jack Guerino, iBerkshires Staff
03:00PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2014
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The American Legion holds its annual Christmas Day dinner this Thursday. The post and its volunteers feed up to 800 people each year.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The American Legion will, once again, ensure that no one goes without a hot meal this Christmas.

William Schrade, chairman of the Be Our Guest Christmas Dinner at American Legion Post 125 spends Christmas day a little differently than most. Instead of spending the holiday home with his family, he, along with a host of legionnaires and volunteers, offer Christmas dinner to anyone in need.

"It's a good meal and no one ever leaves hungry," Schrade said. "We want to make sure people have somewhere to go because that is what our main thing is, to be able to help people that don't have anywhere to go."

Schrade, who has been spearheading the for near 20 years, said this year the Legion will cook all the essentials: 175 pounds of ham, 30 pounds of mixed vegetables, potatoes, turkey soup and pie.

"We give them a real good portions; we don't nickel and dime anyone," he said. "If we have any leftover we try to donate it."

Post Cmdr. Dennis St. Pierre said it is not out of the ordinary to serve up to 800 people between the actual meal and the deliveries.

"Sometimes we get whole families because they don't have anything, and we deliver all over the place to people that don't have anything," St. Pierre said. "A lot of them are shut-ins and we will even go pick them up … if they are home and don't want to sit alone we will come get them and we will bring them back."

St. Pierre said they deliver all over the area, including Readsboro, Vt., Savoy, Williamstown and Adams.

Schrade said it always surprises him how many people volunteer and choose to help serve and deliver food instead of celebrating Christmas at home.

"People call and ask if they can help, but they get here and there is so many people helping they have nothing to do," Schrade said. "So I try to tell them ‘come on down … except you might only wait one table all night.' "

St. Pierre said even though there is always plenty of volunteers, they never turn anyone down.

"I say to them 'look, there is nothing for you to do so take a walk in the hall and sit with them talk with them and wish them a merry Christmas,' " St. Pierre said. "A lot of these people go because they don't have anybody, and if you actually sit down and talk them, it makes their day."

Schrade said people consistently come out to help even during blizzards.

The weather was so bad one year that he called into the radio station and asked for anyone with four-wheel drive vehicles to help deliver.

Because of the disastrous road conditions, Schrade said he was not expecting many people to show up but he was surprised when he looked out the window.

"There must have been 40 four-wheel drives and snowmobiles out there," he said. "We must have delivered 600 meals."

St. Pierre said the event started pretty simply in 1955 with a few legionnaires who just wanted to provide those in need with a meal.

"It was just a handful of people, and they decided to feed them," he said. "It just grew and grew and grew."

He said the dinner slowly got more organized as the years went on.

"It used to be you were so busy that you couldn't breathe and Bill [Schrade] actually got it organized where it runs really smooth," he said. "It just looks a lot easier than it is and it used to look a lot harder than it was."

He said there are a large amount of people who get involved and that 75 percent of the food is donated

St. Pierre said even the schools get involved. Williams College provides assistance along with Drury High School. History teacher Pat Boulger brings his students down every year to decorate the Legion hall and get everyone truly in the Christmas spirit.

"He did it with a grant he got one year, but he never stopped doing it," he said "He still puts these kids together and brings them down, and they spend a whole day just decorating. The kids have a great time."

The actual dinner takes place Christmas Day from 11 to 2 at the American Legion on American Legion Drive. Anyone interested in having food delivered must call the Legion at 413-664-9004 and leave their name, address, phone number, and the number of meals they want.

"There are people around who don't have any place to go," Schrade said. "It really makes you feel good."

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