Cold outside, warm inside: Warm breakfast and holidays to go served up at Calvary Chapel

Published 12:52 pm Thursday, January 8, 2015

In the past six years, volunteers at North Bend’s Calvary Chapel have handed out about 900 turkeys and another 900 hams for the holidays. This year, they added breakfast, too.

As part of the church’s outreach, they give out 150 meals worth of fixings for traditional holiday feasts the weekend before Thanksgiving and Christmas, explained Pastor Walt Cesmat. “They get a turkey (or ham), pumpkin pie, French fried onions, potatoes, gravy … enough to do an entire meal,” he said.

Breakfast was added to the outreach because it included the element of hospitality.

“We used to do the give-away in the parking lot of the QFC, but we didn’t get to sit down and talk with them,” Cesmat said. Now with a hot breakfast buffet, people in need can come in and collect their ingredients, pick up some warm clothes, and warm up on the inside, as well.

“The heart behind everything is to bless those in need, who’ve fallen on hard times. And they show up in droves,” Cesmat said.