Salvation Army hosts annual Christmas meal for Tucsonans in need | Local News

Tucson, Ariz. (KVOA) — The Salvation Army Hospitality House on Main St. in Tucson hosted a Christmas meal Wednesday for some of Tucson’s most vulnerable neighbors.

Volunteer chef Tim Grimes has been feeding people on Christmas for more than 20 years.

“I get to see the smiles on everybody’s faces and more importantly, I get to feed people,” he said. Grimes cooks the bulk of the meal and with the help of more than 100 volunteers, this Christmas tradition keeps going.

“I have a bed, I have a house and a lot of people don’t,” volunteer Penelope McCarthy said. She is a snowbird. “I feel, very, it’s a blessing to be here to share whatever I can share. I have a bed, I have a house and a lot of people don’t. I feel, very, it’s a blessing to be here to share whatever I can share.”

Tonya Fleenor is enjoying Christmas Day lunch.

“It’s wonderful,” she said. “Pumpkin pie, a great meal, great people, it’s been great.”

“It means being part of the community, it means helping the community, bringing the community closer together,” Grimes said. “It’s going to take all of us to bring the community up. There’s too many hungry people in Tucson and we need to solve that problem.”

Prepping hundreds of plates is no easy job, but it’s meaningful work for Grimes who knows there’s no place he’d rather be.

“It’s become part of my Christmas tradition, to be part of the Salvation Army, to be involved with the community,” he said. “To me that’s Christmas. To be involved with others, helping others whenever, wherever you can.”