For the 37th year in a row Bill Fekas is planning to prepare a free community-wide Christmas dinner.  The Salina chef is still in need of a little support.

Fekas is planning to prepare and serve a free dinner to as many as 4,500 people. This will be the 37th year for the Fekas Family Christmas Dinner in Salina.

Fekas, with the help of a small army of volunteers, has been preparing a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for over three decades now for a gathering that has grown from serving about 30 people the first year to now over 4,000 each year.

Fekas had a dream back in the early 1980s – to prepare and serve a free dinner for anyone who was alone on Christmas Day. Fekas tells KSAL News that Salina businessman Dean Evans told him to get the ball rolling and he would pay the bill, “Dean said go ahead and then I said, now what did I get into?”

The free meal is open to anyone and everyone in the community. Though the meal is free to those attend, it is not free for Fekas.

Fekas will prepare 200 turkeys for the meal. Among other things, he is also purchasing a half-ton of potatoes, and 800 loaves of bread to make stuffing with.

The Bill Fekas Family Christmas Dinner is at the 4-H Building in Salina on Christmas Day. Donations are needed to make sure the dinner stays a tradition here in Salina.

Those who want to donate can do so at the event, or by sending a check to : Bill Fekas Family Christmas Dinner – PO Box 2173 – Salina Kansas 67401. Donations are tax deductible.

Volunteers are also still needed, including volunteer drivers. For more details or to volunteer call 785-826-6531.