LYNCHBURG, Va. – With cups of water, tea, and holiday greetings from Lynchburg’s police chief, dozens of people eagerly ate the free Christmas meal offered by Lynchburg Daily Bread Wednesday.
“We partner with a lot of different organizations in the community, a lot of businesses and individuals. This is just another way of helping build that partnership and build that trust with the community," police chief Ryan Zuidema said.
This was Zuidema’s first time serving up Christmas meals at Lynchburg Daily Bread, so he decided to bring some help.
“I’ve got my wife and my two boys,” said Zuidema.
Bringing his kids along was especially important to him.
“I think it’s important for the young boys, as teenagers, to understand the importance of volunteerism and giving back to the community,” he emphasized.
Kenneth Burke lives on the streets and only recently arrived in Lynchburg.
“I was up here yesterday. They served a good meal then, so I decided to come back and have another one," Burke said.
“(It’s) a great time. A lot of other civic-minded individuals you see behind me working real hard, giving them some of their time on Christmas to make sure that others can have a warm meal and be careful,” Zuidema said, standing in the Lynchburg Daily Bread kitchen.
Generosity like that, especially on a holiday, feeds Burke's motivation to keep going.
“I usually eat out of tin cans wherever I can build a fire. This is awesome here. All the way across the United States, anything like this is awesome," said Burke.