Deacon Don DeHaven unloads frozen turkeys and other food items for the Christmas dinner for the poor in downtown Sacramento to be held Dec. 21 at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Cathy Joyce/Herald photo

What better occasion is there than Christ’s birthday to prepare a feast for people in need, and what better place to have that celebration than in God’s house?

That was the focus of a master plan put together 25 years ago by some members of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament’s St. Vincent de Paul Society and Deacon Don DeHaven to sponsor a Christmas dinner at the cathedral for the poor in downtown Sacramento. A quarter century later, the dinner has become a tradition.

“The thing that hit me was that everything was closed on Christmas Day,” recalls Deacon DeHaven. “We needed to make a place for the transient and families that live in the hotels and motels to go for Christmas.”

At the time, few charities that now serve holiday meals to the homeless in the downtown area had begun serving Christmas dinners. That may have been a blessing in disguise, Deacon DeHaven discovered when he began searching for volunteers to cook and serve the dinner.

“People just wanted to come and serve — people from all over, from other parishes and other churches,” he said. “I had so many volunteers one year I had to shut down and not take anymore.”

To Deacon DeHaven, who has taken over as lead organizer of the event, the volunteers have always been “something really special.”

One is Louise Lahola, a member of St. Mel Parish in Fair Oaks. Lahola began volunteering 13 years ago, delivering donated turkeys to families to be cooked for the big holiday event. For many years, when the dinner was served on Christmas Day, it was not unusual for 40 or more turkeys to arrive at Lahola’s house on Christmas eve.

“We have ice chests lined up on the front porch for turkeys that arrive sometimes hot, sometimes cold,” she said. “Christmas dinner at the cathedral is our Christmas tradition now too.”

Chris Caire is a relative newcomer to the group of more than 75 volunteers who make Christmas dinner happen. A member of the Cathedral parish, Caire and her husband, Russ Hudson, who serves as head chef at the event, perform multiple tasks that begin days before dinner is served.

“We cruise around and pick up all the food. Whatever we don’t have donated, we buy,” said Caire, who coordinates volunteers and greets guests throughout the day until the last person has been served.

Deacon DeHaven, who serves both at the cathedral and at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Sacramento, is a bit like the conductor of an orchestra when it comes to planning the annual holiday dinner.

He starts at the end of November hitting the road, distributing posters advertising the dinner at dozens of downtown hotels, area parishes, and inner city neighborhoods. Calls are made to volunteers and longtime donors such as Sacramento Food Bank Services, Leatherby’s Family Creamery, and other Sacramento-area businesses.

While the location for Christmas dinner now alternates between the cathedral and St. John’s Lutheran Church, the signature features remain the same. Nearly 2,000 turkey dinners are served to guests who come together in community and leave with hot turkey sandwiches and toys for every child.

This year’s Christmas dinner, which is served throughout most of the day, will be held Dec. 21 at St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Deacon DeHaven relishes the work even more these days. He remembers the time after his children had left home and his wife had died, when Christmas had lost much of its meaning.

“It was on my mind to find something to make Christmas like it use to be,” he said.

He has no doubt about what makes the spirit of Christmas come alive.

“I love seeing the people so happy — people who have no place to go, people all alone, all the volunteers,” he said. “That’s Christmas for me. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”

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