As a young child, Shawn Malone was always excited to get up early on Christmas morning to open presents.
Now, as an adult and small business owner, he receives that feeling of excitement through a community project to provide free hot Christmas meals to people in need.
This is the eighth year Malone, owner of The Brooklyn Pizza Co. and The Seymour Brewing Co. in Seymour, and close friends Brian and Jessica D’Arco, owners of Bubba’s Place in Seymour, have worked together to make those meals available to people in Jackson and Jennings counties.
A few years ago, they brought Mike and Katie Hall, owners of The Pines Restaurant in Seymour, on board. The Pines now purchases and prepares all of the food.
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The meals are funded through donations, and all of those involved volunteer their time.
Each year, the demand for meals has grown, Malone said.
“The first year, we didn’t really know what the need was,” he said. “We did 350 meals that year."
Last year, volunteers served more than 1,000 hot meals on Christmas morning.
Malone said he expects that number to increase by a couple hundred more meals this year.
To be put on the list to receive a meal, people must sign up online at jacsy.org/jackson-county-christmas-meals or call or text 812-214-5495 by noon Dec. 23.
Callers will need to provide their name, address, telephone number, number of meals needed, whether they want turkey or ham and how many children under the age of 12 are in the household.
Meals can be delivered or picked up at The Pines, 4171 N. U.S. 31, from 10 a.m. to noon Christmas Day.
Although Malone is best known for his pizzas and calzones, that’s not what is on the menu for these Christmas dinners.
Each meal consists of turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables and all of the trimmings.
“It’s a lot of food, but we want to make sure everyone who needs a hot meal on Christmas can get one,” Malone said.
The idea of feeding hundreds of people seemed overwhelming at first, he said.
“It started out as a whole lot of work, raising money, prepping the food, delivering the food and gathering up volunteers, but that has changed,” he said. “We now have an abundance of volunteers who contribute to the project all year long and show up early on Christmas morning to help.”
He estimated the total cost for the meals to be around $2,500 with the majority of that coming from major donors, including Ranger Enterprises, The Royal Group, Harmon Group, Jim’s Body Shop, King’s Trucking and Excavation, Bubba’s Place, The Brooklyn Pizza Co. and The Pines.
Monetary donations are still needed and can be dropped off at The Brooklyn Pizza Co. or Bubba’s Place. Checks can be made out to The Pines. Donations of bottled water also are needed as each meal comes with two bottles.
The idea for the meals started when Malone and the D’Arcos began discussing what they were going to do on Christmas since both businesses were closed for the holiday.
“We didn’t really have any plans. None of us have kids, so we decided we wanted to give back through food because that is how we make our living," Malone said.
“With both of us being in the food industry, it’s a way of giving back what supports us,” D’Arco added.
Another reason they wanted to focus on Christmas meals is because other local organizations were already providing free meals on Thanksgiving, Malone said.
“We started this idea when we realized the normal services that feed people were not available to folks on Christmas Day, and we wanted to fill that gap,” Malone said.
Volunteers are still needed to help with packaging and delivering meals on Christmas Day. Packaging and distribution of meals will begin around 9:30 a.m. at The Pines.
Malone estimated around 100 people will help put the meals in to-go containers, bag them up, fill orders and deliver them.
He said people who have volunteered in the past want to come back every year.
“They’ve told me how being a part of this has touched their families and has given their kids a greater appreciation for Christmas,” Malone said. “It has been really awesome to have that kind of outreach.”
He also said he has received positive feedback through thank-you calls and cards from those who receive meals.
“It has just been a blessing on both ends,” he said. “It makes us realize it’s needed and that people really do appreciate it.”
D’Arco agreed.
“It’s really rewarding,” he said. “We do our family Christmas on Christmas Eve and then this on Christmas Day. It has become a tradition.”
Malone said what is really needed now is for people to spread the word that the meals are available.
“Be it through work, church or social media, we need people to hear about this program so they can get on the list,” he said. “We will continue this spirit of giving every year and hope to feed as many hungry people that reach out to us as possible.”
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Sign up for a free hot Christmas Day meal
To be put on the list to receive a meal, people must sign up online at jacsy.org/jackson-county-christmas-meals or call or text 812-214-5495.
Callers will need to provide their name, address, telephone number, number of meals needed, whether they want turkey or ham and how many children under the age of 12 are in the household.
The deadline to sign up is noon Dec. 23.
Meals can be delivered or picked up at The Pines, 4171 N. U.S. 31, Seymour, from 10 a.m. to noon Christmas Day.
Monetary donations are still needed and can be dropped off at The Brooklyn Pizza Co. or Bubba’s Place. Checks can be made out to The Pines. Donations of bottled water also are needed as each meal comes with two bottles.
Volunteers are still needed to help with packaging and delivering meals on Christmas Day. Packaging and distribution of meals will begin around 9:30 a.m. at The Pines.
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