Red Cliffs Lodge and WabiSabi are offering a free community Christmas Dinner on Sunday, December 25, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Grand Center. The dinner is made possible by generous donations from the community. Everyone is invited to attend or volunteer at the event.

This is the sixth year WabiSabi has offered its Hands Up Christmas Dinner, and last year nearly 350 meals were served. Over 100 volunteers cook, serve, clean, decorate and coordinate the meal. The Youth Garden Project and the Grand Center contribute their facilities for cooking and serving. Red Cliffs Lodge is donating and preparing a full Christmas dinner including turkey, stuffing, potatoes and dessert. Dozens of other businesses and individuals have donated other food and funding for the meal.

“We live in such a generous and supportive community, and it’s great to harness that good energy and share it with everyone,” says Holly Dinsmore, WabiSabi’s Warehouse Manager and organizer of the Hands Up community meals. “This is a tough time for everyone, and whatever we can do to help people out, we want to do it.”
“Plus,” she adds, “we don’t want to see anyone spend the holidays alone.”

Dinsmore says a broad cross-section of the community attends the Hands Up meals each year, from schoolteachers and business owners, to the unemployed and homeless. And while all appreciate the free meal, it’s more about building the bonds of community than helping people through lean economic times.

WabiSabi is currently seeking volunteers to help with meal setup, serving and cleanup. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Ariel Atkins at 259-2553 or programs@wabisabimoab.org. Unfortunately, WabiSabi is unable to accept food donations from individuals. Everything served must be prepared in a commercial kitchen. However, financial contributions to the event may be mailed to WabiSabi, 1030 S. Bowling Alley Lane, Moab, UT 84532.

As always, generous community involvement is vital to the success of the event.
“It’s amazing to see how many people jump in and help out with these meals,” says Dinsmore. “We are so fortunate to live in a community where everyone wants to get involved and help one another out. It’s truly an expression of the holiday spirit.”
“Hands Up is a chance for the individuals, nonprofits and businesses of Moab to unite in sustaining area residents and the community at large,” she adds.

WabiSabi is an integral part of the Moab community, supporting its eclectic sense of identity and the diversity of residents that comprise it. To learn more, visit www.wabisabimoab.org