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Jed Boal ReportingIn this season of giving, many in our community extend a hand to help those families who cannot afford a holiday meal. It's been a tough year for many families, but the need is always great.
Crossroads Urban Center and Rowland Hall St. Mark's teamed up for the tenth year to make a Christmas feast a reality for 1400 families who otherwise would struggle to pull it off. Hundreds of students, parents and faculty from the school handed out turkeys, pies and Christmas cheer.
Utah ranks forth in the nation when it comes to food insecurity among families.
Debby Brimmer, Dinner Recipient: "You try to pay your bills and make ends meet and put food on the table all at the same time, makes it hard to do sometimes."
Eleven-percent of Utah's workforce make less that $7.15 and hour.
Liz Paige, Dir. of Community Services: "Our families struggle making ends meet, especially at the end of the month, during the holiday season, with utilities going up."
Necessities and simple gifts break the budgets for many Utah families.
Liz Paige: "They want a nice holiday meal, and they can't pull it off. It's really hard, so we provide a little help."
The Barretts and Alders volunteer each year as one of their family traditions.
Julie Barrett: "The holiday season often gets very commercial and it's nice for us as a family to do something that brings it back to what the season is all about."
Elizabeth Barrett is a former student at the school.
Elizabeth Barrett: "Seeing all the people coming up the stairs with smiles on their faces reminds us what it's about."
And there are many smiles today that will shine throughout the season.
