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With the American Legion Post 323 not wanting anyone at home by themselves this time of year, they are offering a free Christmas dinner to the community on Christmas Day. 

“The American Legion really is a family. Whether they go and see their other family if they live in Florida, they (still) do stop by for a minute and see their American Legion family. We want others to know they are welcome to come by,” Deanna Hall, past American Legion commander, said. “The whole family is going to be there volunteering. Anyone in the community can come free of charge. I will be there serving food all day. We welcome the whole community to come in and be family. Be there for each other. That’s what we need to do, especially now. Everyone open their arms and really embrace each other going into 2022. We cannot express that enough. We all need to be there for each other as a community.”

From noon to 4. p.m. on Christmas Day, Saturday, Dec. 25, the American Legion will serve a free Christmas dinner. Donations are welcome. 

She said every Thanksgiving and Christmas they open up to the community to provide a cooked meal, especially now with what is going on.

“Especially where we are in Southwest Florida. A lot of families can’t get to their families. So, we open it up, so they can be with someone and have a sense of family with them,” she said.

Hall said the Legionnaires (veterans), Auxiliary, (husbands and wives of veterans), Sons of the American Legion (sons and grandsons of veterans) and Legion Riders have donated everything for the Christmas party.

“The volunteers are all of those organizations,” Hall said of cooking, serving and cleaning everything up.

The meal will consist of a variety of food including a ham, an assortment of vegetables, and all the fixings. She said the Auxiliary brings in all kinds of baked goods, such as pies, cookies and brownies.

The American Legion is at 1124 Ashlar Ave.

For more information, call 239-369-3178.