Menifee Christmas Dinner: Truly a Labor of Love

Two young volunteers admire the huge stack of toys to be given away at the Menifee Christmas Dinner.

Story by Doug Spoon
Photos by Kristen Spoon and Menifee Christmas Dinner Facebook page

Christmas in Menifee means many things to many people, but there is no doubt about the meaning of the Menifee Christmas Dinner.

Started five years ago by one local family, the Menifee Christmas Dinner has grown into a volunteer effort that involves hundreds of Menifee residents of all ages. Through their efforts, hundreds more are served a traditional Christmas dinner and children are allowed to pick gifts from a huge stack of donated new toys.

It all takes place on Christmas Day, when the many volunteers give up part of their holiday in the Christmas spirit of giving. They do it together as families, and they do it because they care.

"This is how we show the true meaning of Christmas to our children and to everyone," said Julie Canales, pictured at left with her husband Jimmy, who came up with the idea in 2010. "Hearing the stories from the volunteers, seeing the smiles on people's faces -- that's what makes it all worth it.

"Besides the meal here, we deliver to a women's shelter, to the homeless, to people who can't get out for Christmas. One year we had a football coach helping to deliver -- a big, macho kind of guy. He came back in tears, telling us of how he sat and talked with an elderly man and how they sang Christmas carols together."

At that point, her voice breaking, Julie Canales turned and pointed to the dozens of volunteers who surrounded her this morning at the Marion V. Ashley Center -- headquarters for Menifee's biggest holiday volunteer effort.

Today, toys that have been collected during a month-long toy drive were stacked neatly in front of a Christmas tree. Volunteers who stood for hours on street corners with signs asking for donations worked together to display the hundreds of unwrapped gifts donated by local residents.

In the kitchen and in the assembly hall, more volunteers prepared the food that had been donated by so many who wished to contribute. People who had stood in front of local markets, asking for food donations, now cheerfully began to prepare what will be a complete holiday meal for others.

"The kids get the most donations," Julie Canales said, nodding to the little ones in attendance today. "One of them was standing outside a market and asked a man for a donation to the food drive. The man said, 'Well, the store is all out of food for me to give you, but here's $100."

Tomorrow morning, volunteers will arrive at the Marion Ashley Center to pick up food and gifts for delivery to those who can't make it to the center on their own. They will make deliveries to residents at their homes and to homeless people who regularly gather at a park in Perris. Then, at noon, doors to the center will be opened to anyone who wishes to come for a Christmas dinner, fun and fellowship.

Asked about the dinner earlier this week, Jimmy Canales said no one is turned away. In addition to low-income families and others in need, meals are served to college students away from home during the holidays, spouses of deployed military, and "anyone who doesn't want to be alone on Christmas," he said.

One of the volunteers in the kitchen today was Jennafer Griswold (center in the photo above), who along with her family was displaced form their Menifee home in November 2013 because of a fire. The family just moved back into its renovated house this October. This year, for the first time, the Griswolds have joined the Menifee Christmas Dinner effort.

"Once the community rallies around you like they did for us, that motivates you to give back," she said. "It's hard to teach your children what it's like to give like this, but ours learned it by watching it happen."

Similar sentiments were expressed by 17-year-old Natalie Canales, who with her brother and sister have joined their parents in the volunteer effort all five years.

"It changed the meaning of Christmas for me," Natalie said. "We used to get up on Christmas morning, open our presents and then just sit on the couch. Now we open our gifts, come here and give to others. It's awesome to see the people's faces."

To learn more about the Menifee Christmas Dinner, see their Facebook page here.

Tables are set up and donations gathered for tomorrow's Menifee Christmas Dinner.

For weeks, volunteers stood on street corners as part of a Toy Drive.

Food donations were still arriving at Marion Ashley Center this afternoon.