The Rev. Dr. Paul deJong, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, leads the congregation in prayer. PHOTO PROVIDED

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A long-standing tradition that celebrates the season of giving, with both Christmas carols and the collection of nonperishable food for the hungry, will be held in Fort Myers next month.

The 30th annual Christmas Carol Sing, sponsored by the Galloway Family of Dealerships, will take place at 1 p.m. and at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at First Presbyterian Church.

The doors will open 30 minutes before each show and there is a strong chance that Santa Claus will make an appearance at the event that is a fundraiser for Community Cooperative.

Although admission is free, attendees are asked to bring at least two cans of nonperishable food for The Soup Kitchen, operated by Community Cooperative.

The Rev. Roger Peterson, First Presbyterian Church minister of music, leads the audience in song. PHOTO PROVIDED

Cash donations are also welcome.

Community Cooperative is a true blessing for the community, First Presbyterian church pastor, the Rev. Dr. Paul deJong, said.

“As a pastor here, I am so thankful. Being downtown we will get people in need. All kinds of needs. To have that place that fully services them that I can refer them to, or bring them to . . . such a blessing. They are world class and very good at what they do. It’s a gift to have them in this town, it really is.”

The Christmas Carol Sing began at First Presbyterian church from a Sunday School class that wanted to do something for Fort Myers, deJong said.

“People were sitting around saying what can we do for the needy people in the community. It started by passing out sandwiches from the trunk of our car. Now it’s completely separate from the church,” he said.

Three big churches in Downtown Fort Myers stared the organization with First Presbyterian Church being the only one that is still in existence, Community Cooperative CEO Stefanie Ink Edwards said.

Cape Coral resident the Rev. Roger Peterson, and Christmas Carol Sing music director, said they would be singing the music regardless, but holding the Christmas Carol Sing is making sure they are tackling the hunger in Lee County.

“Sam Galloway Jr. has been so passionate about it. First Presbyterian is just the host church all this time. Sam would get his crew together to make sure the needs of the community were not forgotten,” Peterson said. “Boy, have we brought in the groceries and funds throughout the years.”

deJong said he really credits the Galloway Family of Dealerships for continuing to support the event even after Sam passing.

“Sam Galloway was the driving force behind it,” deJong said of the event. “In honor of Sam Galloway, we are continuing the Carol Sing to support the needy.”

With Galloway passing away this past year, they knew he would want the event to continue to be upbeat for the community.

“Sam always believed that if your family is hungry, you will do anything to feed them. By having Community Cooperative there, they kept families in our town from being hungry, so people wouldn’t feel desperate to feed them. It benefits all of us to not have hungry children in our community. It is the right thing to do. It’s the best thing for the City of Fort Myers,” deJong said.

Peterson said he and his wife Barbara, a pianist, moved to the area at the very beginning of 2003 and are now finishing their 18th year with the event.

The music is divided pretty evenly, starting with a sacred package, which includes such numbers as duets, solos and the congregation singing familiar Christmas carols. Those favorites include such tunes as “O Holy Night,” “Joy to the World,” and “Away in the Manger.” Peterson said they then go into a fun section where they sing such popular songs as “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

“The audience is involved all the way through,” he said, adding that there are words and pictures on the wall to go along with the songs, so it is easy for the audience to join in and have a great time.

Peterson said he is just amazed that the Christmas Carol Sings continues, as often times things fade out after a certain time span. He really enjoys watching the audience getting involved and singing songs they have sung their entire lives.

“They enjoy it and that just makes me enjoy it all that more,” Peterson said.

The donations made really help, organizers said but they are not required.

deJong said if an attendee cannot bring anything it is fine, but ideally, a dry item, or canned food would be greatly appreciated.

“It’s something you can actually touch. It goes in the hands of the needy,” he said, adding that they will also pass the plate during the event. “It (cash donations) goes straight to Community Cooperative and they can buy food a lot cheaper than you and I can. Anything you can bring will go right in the hands of someone who needs it. That is the purpose of the event, to continue to support what was always called the Soup Kitchen.”

Ink Edwards said the Christmas Carol Sing is their most festive event where the community comes together to celebrate the holiday season.

“The event is one of many ways to give back. It’s a fun event for the family, or just you to come out and get festive for the holiday season. It’s one of the greatest traditions that we have here in Fort Myers . . . a really great one especially during the holiday seasons,” she said.

The food drive and monetary donations are really important for Community Cooperative’s holiday season.

“We usually get a few thousand pounds of donated items,” Ink Edwards said, adding that the monetary donations varies from year to year. “All of the food goes into our community market and folks in need can shop for those items the following day, which is really neat.”

During the 2019 Christmas Carol Sing, 2,800 pounds of canned goods and nonperishable items were given to Community Cooperative, which were then immediately distributed to those in need.

The Christmas Carol Sing is amazingly simple, deJong said.

“We get together. We sing Christmas carols. There will be a chorus group that will perform. For the most part it’s audience participation, which is actually kind of fun,” he said. “It’s a feel-good experience. People are always smiling. People will plan their trips down here based around the event.”

deJong said people just don’t walk down the street singing together like in the Netherlands where his parents grew up in the 1920s.

“We might sing alone in the car when no one hears us. For the most part we don’t sing. It’s fun to be in a room with other people and sing Christmas songs. If you sing like I do. it’s OK,” he said laughing. “Have fun together. Everyone leaves smiling and leaving good because it is fun to sing Christmas carols together.”

Lehigh Acres resident John Kerns said he was first exposed to Christmas Carol Sing approximately six to seven years ago when he first started attending First Presbyterian Church.

“When my wife passed away I started looking for a church that I liked. Before we moved to Florida, we had been attending a church up in Ohio. When we moved to Florida, we couldn’t find a church that we really liked in our denomination. We sort of dropped out for a while. When she passed away, I was missing church. I thought I’m going to try the one downtown and I did. It met my liking and I started going there.”

After meeting another member of the church and learning that she had lost her husband, they agreed to meet at the church and attend the Christmas Carol Sing together.

“We had a good time and she knew the people who organized it, the Galloways, and was involved with different things,” Kerns said. “It was a good time. It was quite enjoyable.”

The Christmas Carol Sing is a great way for the community to get together and sing Christmas carols and celebrate the season of Christmas, he added.

“In a way it is a worship service, too because it is all about the birth of Christ. The songs that were written about him and the season. It’s a fun time to get together and sing Christmas carols,” Kerns said. “Most people show up in the Christmas spirit because they are anticipating what is going to happen. If you are a person who sings, and who likes Christmas carols, it is especially nice because you get a chance to sing with all of your friends together and enjoy the season.”

Community Cooperative are no longer seeing pandemic numbers in terms of who they are helping.

“They have come back to reality,” Ink Edwards said, adding that they are still trending higher and they are back to doing intake for all of their programs. “It’s nice to be fully back open for all of our programs.”

The success of Community Cooperative, a grassroots nonprofit organization, is dictated by the generosity of the community. Ink Edwards said they could not help the tens of thousands of people they do without the help of the community.

For those who are unable to attend, monetary donations can be made on their website, communitycooperative.com as well as volunteer opportunities.

“We have a really small, but mighty staff. Because we do so much work all at the same time, it takes over 100 volunteers every single day to keep things going,” Ink Edwards said.

First Presbyterian Church is at 2438 Second St., downtown Fort Myers. between Lee Street and Royal Palm Avenue.