Hundreds of needy get a yule feast

For many, being down on your luck at Christmas time is bad enough. Being approached by a stranger to talk about your situation is even worse. It makes sense, then, that not everyone at the Salt Lake City Mission's annual Christmas celebration wanted to discuss the circumstances that led them to a west-side church on Monday for a hot meal and a little bit of company.

For those willing to talk, however, the conversation always begins the same way: "It's a long story."

A long story on how Angela Mejia and her three children ended up living in the homeless shelter for eight months. A long story on why Ron Monroe has lived in his truck for the past month or why Jim Neufeld stays with friends and relies on his guitar for stable company.

And how the story will end, Mejia, Monroe and Neufeld don't know. Next year, Mejia hopes to be in her home on Christmas morning, sitting around a well-decorated tree, watching her children open presents she bought with her own earnings.

For now, however, the three were among the some 1,500 Utahns who took in the annual Christmas celebration. Groups of people arrived at the Christian Life Center throughout the day Monday, most transported by bus from area homeless shelters and service providers.

There, dozens of volunteers served food — doughnuts in the morning and, later, a traditional holiday meal with all the trimmings. They filled cups with juice and coffee, cleared tables, and distributed small gift bags and warm coats while volunteers from Community Nursing Services gave free flu shots in the church lobby.

For Mejia, who spent the better part of 2006 at the Road Home homeless shelter, it was like spending Christmas with family.

"I came down here to have some dinner with some people I know," said Mejia, who recently received housing assistance and moved her family into a two-bedroom Salt Lake City apartment.

"I've been around the shelter almost all year long, so all of these people here are my friends."

After recently moving back to Utah after many years away, Monroe heard about the holiday dinner from others in the community and decided to stop by for some company.

"I usually spend Christmas alone, but I'm never completely alone," he said. "I have the Lord."

The Salt Lake City Mission, a non-denominational Christian church, serves similar meals on every major holiday. Program director Steve Bailey said the primary goal is to get people off the streets and connect them with services.