The annual Cortez Community Christmas Dinner will return Christmas Day from noon to 2 p.m. at the Montezuma County Annex, offering dine-in, takeout and delivery options for residents in Cortez, Dolores and Mancos.
Organizers expect to serve about 400 meals – the result of months of coordination by volunteers.
As much as it is a transition year, those efforts are keeping the 30-plus-year tradition alive. Funding included $7,000 raised by one volunteer going door-to-door.
“We don’t have an organization that’s manning this. It’s truly a community effort this year, which is really beautiful,” said Mary Jo Standard, one of the dinner organizers. “People have absolutely been stepping up to the plate and been really supportive of the transition year.”
This year brought a perfect storm: Many longtime organizers are out of town, and the event’s head chef of the past five years died this summer, leaving a gap in institutional knowledge. With local food insecurity growing, new volunteers from First United Methodist Church and others stepped in quickly.
“There was a call to action, essentially, to how can we make sure we still have this. It’s been really challenging for so many people, we have to have that,” Standard said.
She added: “I mean, one of our greatest concerns was how do we find somebody to run the kitchen?”
Randy Lewis, who runs Lunch Lady Catering, will serve as head chef, preparing ham, mashed potatoes, rolls, green beans and pie.
“She stepped up to the plate and was like, ‘Yes, I can cook Christmas Day for 400 people, which was huge,” Standard said.
Anyone is welcome to dine in. For delivery, residents in Cortez, Dolores and Mancos may schedule by calling 703-638-0229 until 8 p.m. Christmas Eve.
Takeout will be available throughout the full two-hour service window.
“Yes, the full two hours,” Standard said. “We have to-go boxes for all of it. So, if people want a family meal, they can come grab a meal for the whole family and go back home.”
Standard said the volunteer response has also been strong.
“I’ve really had a huge turnout in volunteers,” she said. “When I say it’s a community-led event this year, it completely is.”
While volunteer slots are mostly filled, organizers are still seeking pie donations and monetary contributions. About 50 pies are needed and may be dropped off at the annex until noon Christmas Eve.
“For food safety reasons, we can only take fruit pies,” Standard said. “Pumpkin pie does not count as a fruit pie.”
The Christmas meal has been a long-standing tradition in the community for more than three decades. First United Methodist Church took over organizing the meal in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, initially offering takeout-only service.
Standard said local organizations, including Hope’s Kitchen and Grace’s Kitchen, have also provided guidance and support during planning.
For anyone wanting to make a monetary donation, please see the Onward! A Legacy Foundation donation portal: https://onwardfdn.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1017.
