Volunteers at Jo’s Community Dinners provided 543 Christmas lunches this week, almost 150 more than the group provided last year.

“Actually, we think this year we had more than usual because there are a number of people from Florida in the community who are still displaced by (Hurricane Michael),” organizer Jan Morris said. “We saw a lot of new faces.”

Jo’s Community Dinners is an effort organized by St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and supported by other churches which provides a free meal on Thanksgiving Day and on Christmas Day. The meals are delivered, or are available for dine-in or takeout. A host of community volunteers facilitate the kitchen prep, cooking, serving and delivery.

“We had about 300 deliveries,” Morris said. “And probably an equal number of dine-in and takeout.”

Morris said volunteers at the Laundry Love ministry, a combined effort of St. Mary’s, First United Methodist Church and First Presbyterian Church, are seeing a number of displaced Florida residents taking advantage of the monthly opportunity to do laundry. On the third Thursday afternoon of each month, the ministry assists people with the cost of doing their laundry at the Soap Opera Laundromat. For additional information, please call St. Mary’s at 334-222-2487.