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"The Community Holiday Dinner Committee put on quite the feast at the Monterey County Fairgrounds on Christmas Day.Goodwill towards man was full display, as an estimated 2,500 people showed up for a free dinner, live music, hot drinks, and raffle prizes.\u201CMerry Christmas to all you guys who helped, and to all the volunteers who helped and came out here for us, for all the homeless people, we really need it,\u201D said one homeless man who did not want to be identified by name.Volunteers, policemen, firefighters, and representatives from community groups gave hours of their time to make Christmas a special day for everyone.\u201CI've been volunteering for years, and in the last couple of years I looked around and realized the volunteers weren't eating, and so for the past couple of years I have been volunteering to help the volunteers,\u201D said Sharon Morelli.The chef behind the dinner, Jeffrey Walker, made sure there was no reason for anyone to go home hungry. Walker spent months and then all week organizing the preparation of 150 turkeys, 40 hams, and 800 pounds of potatoes.\u201CSo we smoked all the turkeys on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then started cutting them on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,\u201D he said.The professional caterer said it is a big job but he is happy to do it.\u201CYou know I love my community, I want to give something back, I mean Monterey has been good to me, I just want to give something back,\u201D Walker said.Santa and Mrs. Klaus were a big part of the dinner and they spent time with all of the children and handed out Christmas gifts to them.Some of those toys coming from the KSBW and Salvation Army \u2018Share Your Holiday Drive\u2019.\u201CWe did so well that we were able to meet all of the identified need here on the peninsula, and we were able to distribute toys at today's gathering,\u201D said Captain Paul Swain with the Salvation Army.For those who couldn't make it to the dinner, like senior citizens and families taking care of those with disabilities, 380 dinners were boxed up and 250 were delivered right to people's doorsteps.\u201CThis is what Christmas is all about, a lot of us are already working, and those who aren't working this is our way of giving back to the community,\u201D said Commander Bob Nolan with the Marina Police Department who organized the deliveries."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.ksbw.com/article/holiday-community-dinner-feeds-thousands/1058435>