By Joy Haynes 

For the Enquirer
 

Members of the Hartselle church of Christ prepared food for hundreds of local families and individuals Christmas Day. 

The almost 100-year-old congregation cooked and boxed meals to feed more than 1,000 people, which were delivered or picked up Christmas morning.  

The church has been preparing Christmas meals for those in need for at least a decade. 

The service project began when one family realized Meals on Wheels did not deliver on Christmas. The project is still growing each year. The list of recipients expands, but the number of people willing to help out has multiplied as well. 

Names and addresses of more than 800 recipients were gathered from Meals on Wheels, the Committee on Church Cooperation, residents of the Morgan County and Hartselle Housing Authorities, the Morgan County Commission on Aging and several other people throughout the Hartselle area. 

About 200-250 volunteers cooked food, boxed meals, prepared routes, delivered food and cleaned up the preparation room.  

“Everybody finds a job and works together to make everything happen,” said JoAnn Sneed, one of the many people who helped plan the massive undertaking. “Practically every family in the congregation is involved in some way – from cooking the food to helping deliver or clean. We always worry about how it will all come together, but then we all pitch in to get it done.” 

About 200 meals were left over after the deliveries. Those were distributed to the Morgan County jail, the CCC and other entities providing resources for those in need. 

Phillip Hines and Todd Barrier are the ministers at Hartselle church of Christ.